Moscow/Yerevan - Days after paving the way for a new era in diplomatic relations, Armenia Friday backed Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.

"We have an interest in this so that, via Anakara, we can also have closer relations with the European Union," Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was quoted as saying by the Russian Interfax news agency.

Sargsyan also argued for opening up the border between Turkey and Armenia, saiying: "In a modern world, closed borders hinder the natural economic process."

Turkey and Armenia Saturday signed two protocols aimed at opening up diplomatic relations, bilateral ties and their common border after years of hostility.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian signed the documents at the Zurich negotiations which saw US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton involved in a last-ditch mediation.

Ankara and Yerevan broke off relations in 1993 when Turkey closed its border with Armenia, after the Caucausus republic invaded the Azerbaijan territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

But the animosity goes back decades to what Armenia alleges was the genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Turks during World War I, a charge Ankara denies.

The protocols signed at the weekend call for the renewal of diplomatic ties, opening of the common border and establishment of a historical commission to investigate the events during World War I.

The agreement must be ratified by both countries' parliaments.

The European Commission welcomed the signing and called for ratification and implementation "according to the agreed timetable and without any additional preconditions." (dpa)