ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- Hours after Turkey and Armenia announced a tentative, Swiss-mediated peace deal, opposition politicians in Turkey were blasting the proposal. Turkish President Abdullah Gul, left, meets Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan in September 2008. The plan would normalize relations and open the common border between the two neighbors. Political analysts warn that there are still immense hurdles left, before Armenians and Turks can overcome nearly a century of bad blood and re-open a border that has been sealed shut for more then fifteen years. In a joint press statement released late Monday night, Switzerland, Armenia and Turkey announced they had agreed to start six weeks of "internal political consultations" on two protocols, aimed at establishing diplomatic and bilateral relations.
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Swiss-mediated peace deal would normalize relations between Turkey, Armenia
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Border between neighbors closed since 1993 war between Armenia, Azerbaijan
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Countries agree to begin "internal political consultations" on proposals
In September 2008, Turkish president Abdullah Gul accepted an invitation to attend a soccer match with @placeholder's newly-elected president in the Armenian capital.