Istanbul  - In what is being hailed as another round of "football diplomacy," the national teams of historic enemies Turkey and Armenia will today meet for a World Cup qualifying match.

The real action will not be on the field, since both teams have already been knocked out of contention for the cup.

Instead, the game's significance is on the diplomatic front, with Armenian President Serzh Sargsian scheduled to attend the game in the Turkish city of Bursa, a former Ottoman imperial capital located 90 kilometres from Istanbul.

Sargsian's visit follows that of his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, who travelled to Yerevan last September for another World Cup qualifying match. Turkey won that game 2-0.

More significantly, the visit comes only a few days after Turkey and Armenia signed a set of protocols that pave the way for the two countries to restore ties and open up their mutual border.

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

But the animosity goes backs decades further to what Armenia alleges was the genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Turkey insists only some 200,000 were killed and fiercely rejects any allegations of genocide. While admitting that massacres did take place, Turkey says they did not constitute genocide but were instead the result of a civil uprising when Armenians joined forces with invading Russians.

The protocols signed on October 10 in Zurich, Switzerland provide for the renewal of diplomatic ties, opening of the common border and the establishment of a historical commission to investigate the events during World War I.

To go into effect, the agreements must be ratified by the parliaments of both countries, although domestic opposition in both countries could prevent that from happening.

Security at the game is expected to be tight, in order to prevent any protests by nationalist fans.

"I call on the fans to ignore any provocation that might come from people who desire to abuse the process between Turkey and Armenia," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.

During a recent game between the local football team, Bursaspor, and Diybarbakirspor, a visiting team from Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, fans chanted nationalist slogans at their guests. (dpa)