Armenia and Turkey are signing a peace accord on Saturday to end a century of hostility stemming from the World War I mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces.

The foreign ministers of both countries will sign the pact in Zürich following a year-long mediation by Switzerland. Armenia accuses the Ottoman Empire, the precursor of modern Turkey, of deliberately killing up to 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey admits that several hundred thousand Armenians perished in the conflict but denies any deliberate intent to kill people. Under the deal, the two countries will establish diplomatic ties and open their mutual border. Once signed, however, the accord will have to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries.

Photos: the Armenian and Turkish flags (Flickr / Nirr Nussbaum / Tolga Musato)