It is unclear if the talks to establish diplomatic relations, expected to take six weeks, will touch on the dispute over the World War I-era killings.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has indicated, however, that the dispute will not be a deal-breaker between the two neighbors.

"It's important that historical justice be restored. It's important that our nations are able to establish normal relations. It's important, finally, that this not be repeated in the future," Sarkisian said in an interview published Monday by the BBC Russian service. "But we do not regard a recognition of genocide as a preliminary condition for establishing relations."

Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman Empire, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, contending the toll has been inflated and that the casualties were victims of civil war.

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991, but the two countries never established diplomatic relations and their joint border has been closed since 1993.

Illustrating just how intractable the Armenia-Turkey dispute has been, Israel and Germany managed to establish diplomatic relations in 1965, just 20 years after the end of the Holocaust, in which German Nazis and their collaborators murdered 6 million Jews. Today, the two nations enjoy close ties.

In contrast to Turkey, however, Germany accepted responsibility for the genocide immediately after the war and began paying millions of dollars of reparations to Jewish survivors.

In agreeing to move forward and normalize relations, landlocked Armenia is eager for a reopening of the border and the trade opportunities it would bring. For Turkey, improved ties with Armenia is key to its goal of membership in the European Union and enhanced stature in the region.

The border was closed after Armenian forces took control of the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey, which shares close cultural and linguistic relations with Azerbaijan, had insisted its talks with Armenia proceed in parallel with Armenian-Azeri discussions.

A joint statement released by the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministries said the two countries will start consultations to sign two protocols _ one to establish diplomatic ties, the other to develop relations. The talks, with continued mediation by Switzerland, are to last six weeks.

Ties began to improve after a so-called soccer diplomacy campaign last year, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup qualifier in Armenia.

Sarkisian has said he wants significant diplomatic progress on the reopening of their shared border before he will agree to attend a World Cup qualifying match in Turkey on Oct. 14, about six weeks away.

Armenian political commentator Artyom Yerkanian, speaking during a special broadcast on Armenian television late Monday, suggested the agreement to establish ties could be signed at the October match in Turkey.

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, a major Jewish organization in the United States, welcomed the announcement.

"Whatever historical pain and differences are, the best way to deal with them is for the two governments to reconcile and establish relationships and to deal with the past," he said. "If it happens, I think it's good news."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement that "normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey would constitute an event of historic import that would contribute to regional stability." Sarkozy opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.

Establishing ties with Armenia is important for Turkey as it plays an ever increasing role as a regional mediator and powerbroker.

Turkey has mediated indirect talks between Syria and Israel, and hosted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as well as EU leaders separately for talks on proposed pipeline projects to bring energy supplies to the West. Earlier Monday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Iraq and Syria to try and defuse diplomatic tensions over Baghdad's demand that Damascus extradite two suspects wanted in a recent suicide attacks on government ministries.

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Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.