[The two countries signed the protocols under the watchful eyes of
big powers]
Turkey and Armenia have signed a historic
accord normalising relations after a century of
hostility.
The deal was signed by the two foreign ministers after
last-minute problems delayed the ceremony in Switzerland.
Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia are to establish
diplomatic ties and reopen their shared border.
The accord has been met by protests in Armenia, where many
people say it does not fully address the 1915 killing of hundreds
of thousands of Armenians.
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Objections
Armenia wants Turkey to recognise the killings as an act of
genocide, but successive Turkish governments have refused to do
so.
The agreement calls for a joint commission of independent
historians to study the genocide issue.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Armenian
counterpart, Edward Nalbandian, signed the protocols in Switzerland
after a delay of more than three hours.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Zurich says the Armenians had
apparently raised objections to remarks due to be read out by the
Turkish delegation.
After the signing neither side issued a statement, and our
correspondent says this seems to have been the compromise arranged
by US officials.
The administration of President Barack Obama had been pressing
the parties to reach agreement.
The ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the
EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security
Policy, Javier Solana.
Mrs Clinton later said the US would build on the "milestone"
that had been achieved, but admitted "concerns on both sides" had
delayed the signing.
A senior state department official told Associated Press that Mr
Obama had called Mrs Clinton "to congratulate her and the team" on
their role in the signing.
The accord needs to be ratified by the parliaments of both
Armenia and Turkey.
On Friday thousands of people protested against the deal in the
Armenian capital, Yerevan.
"The international recognition of the Armenian genocide will be
hindered by this signature, or ratification," said Vahan
Hovanissyan, a member of parliament for the nationalist
Dashnaktsutyun party.
One protester told the BBC he was not opposed to the opening of
the border, but was "against the setting up of a commission that
will allow Turkey to further postpone declaring the killings as
genocide".
Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died in 1915, when they were
deported en masse from eastern Anatolia by the Ottoman Empire. They
were killed by troops or died from starvation and disease.
Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised
internationally as genocide - and more than 20 countries have done
so.
Turkey admits that many Armenians were killed but says the
deaths were part of the widespread fighting that took place in
World War I.
A roadmap for normalising relations between Turkey and Armenia
was agreed in April.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 because of its war
with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh.
Correspondents say most people in Armenia feel their landlocked
country has been too isolated since the Turkish border closed and
are ready for it to reopen.