September 4, 2009: On Monday, August 31, the Turkish and Armenian governments jointly announced that they will hold talks aimed at creating diplomatic ties. The two nations, which share a border that has been closed since 1993, have been bitter enemies for nearly a hundred years.

A deep dispute between the two countries revolves around the massacre by Turks of more than a million Armenians during World War I. The killings took place toward the end of the Ottoman Empire. Armenia considers the massacre genocide; the Turkish government argues that those who lost their lives were casualties of civil war.

According to Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, the ongoing dispute will not prevent the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

Mediated by Switzerland, the talks are expected to take six weeks. They reflect, in part, pressure from U.S. and Europe for reconciliation -- including hopes expressed by President Obama during his trip to Turkey earlier this year.

SOS Children's Villages Provides Homes for Children on All Sides

A Turkish boy holds a puppy in an SOS Children's Village in Bolluca, TurkeyThe likelihood that two longstanding enemy nations are about to establish formal diplomatic links is heartening for SOS Children’s Villages.

SOS is a charity whose sole concern is the welfare of orphaned children and needy families around the globe. SOS operates Children’s Villages in both Turkey and Armenia. (SOS also runs Villages in Israel and the Palestinian Territories).

SOS’s work is based on the belief that in order to thrive, children need a loving mother, a secure home, and a supportive community. SOS Children’s Villages provides these essential elements to vulnerable children in 132 countries.

In Turkey, SOS Children’s Village-Bolluca is located in a suburb of Istanbul. It was built in 1992, and enlarged in 1999 following the devastating earthquake that left so many children homeless. In neighboring Armenia SOS created a Children’s Village in Kotajk, after having provided emergency aid to children who had lost their parents to the 1988 earthquake.

Strengthening Families

Three girls pose for a picture in an SOS Children's Village in Kotajk, ArmeniaThe SOS Children’s Villages in both Armenia and Turkey include an SOS kindergarten, a youth facility for teenagers, and family strengthening programs for nearby populations.

One of SOS’s goals is to keep families intact wherever possible. By offering financially distressed families advice on parenting skills and how to start small businesses, SOS works to prevent child abandonment to begin with.