Armenia and Turkey have agreed to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their border under a plan to end nearly a century of hostility.

The neighbours, whose history of animosity stems from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during the first world war, said on Monday that they would hold domestic consultations before setting up diplomatic ties for the first time.

"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks, following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to the respective parliaments for the ratification on each side," the countries' foreign ministries said in a statement issued jointly with mediator Switzerland.

"Both sides will make their best efforts for the timely progression of the ratification in line with their constitutional and legal procedures."

Mass killings

Copies of the protocols said the border will reopen within two months of being ratified, the Reuters news agency said.Turkey closed the border in 1993 as a political move in support of Azerbaijan, who was fighting Armenian-supported separatists at the time. 

Ankara rejects claims that the killings amounted to genocide, saying instead that Turks and Armenians were killed in high numbers.
 
The plan to normalise ties was initially announced in April amid warming relations.
Abdullah Gul, the Turkish prime minister, attended a World Cup qualifying football match between the two countries in the Armenian capital Yerevan and Serzh Sarksyan, the Armenian president, plans to make the return trip for a match in October.

But he had said that he wanted significant progress on the border issue first.
The rift has been an obstacle to Turkey's bid to join the EU and has antagonised Ankara's relations with the US.

The restoring of ties is expected to aid Turkey's regional influence and give Armenia access to Turkish and European markets.