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MEDIA PROMOTES TURKEY-ARMENIA RECONCILIATION
Journal of Turkish Weekly
June 13 2014
SES Turkiye
13 June 2014
A columnist from Radikal daily who aims to use his position to promote
reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia is the latest recipient of
the Turkey-Armenia Journalism Award.
Istanbul Kultur University's Global Political Trends (GPoT) Centre
honoured Oral Calislar on June 3rd in a ceremony at the Swedish
Consulate in Istanbul. He is the sixth recipient of the award,
which was established to recognise journalists who cover the need
for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement.
Previous recipients include Kadri Gursel from Milliyet daily, Eduard
Mkhitaryan from Armenia's Gala TV, Lilit Gasparyan from Armenian
Yerkir Media, Hilal Kaplan from Yeni Safak daily, and Markar Esayan
from Today's Zaman.
One of Calislar's articles, entitled "My Armenian Brothers and dear
Hrant!" was dedicated to the reconciliation efforts of the late Hrant
Dink, who was murdered in Istanbul in 2007 after writing in his last
column that he had received death threats. Dink was editor-in-chief
of the bilingual Turkish and Armenian weekly Agos newspaper.
In his column, Calislar emphasised that Dink always aimed to establish
friendship between the two countries and tried to encourage both
sides to face their common history in a constructive way.
Calislar also wrote that the condolences offered by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Armenian people on April 23rd represented
the most significant step Turkey has taken on this issue, and could
potentially open a new page in bilateral relations.
Calislar told SES Turkiye that until recently Turkish and Armenian
media have mostly preferred to incite animosity between the two
communities and countries, and have drawn a negative picture of
their relationship.
"However, I believe in the power of the media to play a positive role
in promoting the bilateral relations. It will suffice to be inspired
by the unique legacy of what Hrant had achieved by himself to make the
two communities understand each other better. He always used a critical
but friendly discourse in his media publications," Calislar said.
Calislar added that Turkish media also needs to empathise with its
Armenian counterparts and should not lose heart if its own advances
for reconciliation do not find a quick response from the other side
because Armenian media is often angry, victimised and reactionary --
none of which will be changed overnight.
Mensur Akgun, director of the GPoT Centre, said there is a need for
innovative thinking to overcome existing sociological factors that
prevent the smooth progress of Turkey-Armenia reconciliation.
"First of all, the media representatives from both countries
need to purify themselves from all their stereotyping, biases and
misunderstandings. And for this, they need to be encouraged to visit
each other's country," Akgun told SES Turkiye.
Akgun said he hopes that third countries, which have the courage and
willingness to assist in reconciliation, might develop and fund some
projects of interaction between the media representatives of Turkey
and Armenia.
He added that by going beyond intellectual discourses, such
cross-country initiatives have the potential to change attitudes in
the short to medium term, which would also have repercussions on the
media's reporting.
"We have already reached beyond the psychological threshold with
the condolences of the prime minister on April 23rd. At this point,
maybe the media might be intermediary for convincing the authorities
to take some confidence-building measures -- like building a memorial
for those people who died or had to leave Turkey during 1915 events,"
Akgun added.
Experts also emphasise that media representatives have the power
to touch their readers and audience on a regular basis, and make
an effort to open their mental borders before the land borders are
opened between the two countries.
In November 2011, the GPoT Centre collaborated with the Eurasia
Partnership Foundation and Yerevan Press Club to bring a group of
Turkish journalists to Yerevan for four days as part of a project named
"Dialogue Building Between Turkey and Armenia."
GPoT also organised a two-week Turkey-Armenia media bus tour in
June 2012 to provide 15 Turkish and Armenian journalists with new
networks and first-hand insight for future reporting on Turkey-Armenia
relations. The tour visited historical and cultural sites in both
countries as well as civil society and media representatives' offices.
Similarly, the Hrant Dink Foundation, established following
Dink's murder to commemorate his legacy, has been organising the
Turkey-Armenia Journalists Dialogue Programme since 2009 in a bid
to assist journalists to meet their colleagues and establish direct
links with key institutions and media in the other country.
Gayane Abrahamyan, a Yerevan-based freelance journalist and editor,
told SES Turkiye that Armenian and Turkish societies have little
information about one another, which fuels stereotypes.
"And journalists do the same way," said Abrahamyan, who has written
for ArmeniaNow.com, where she conducted interview projects to reconcile
the two countries.
"Since 2009, with the launch of soccer diplomacy between the presidents
of the two countries, which opened the way to the reconciliation
process, the connections between journalists have been also increased
especially thanks to several projects conducted by the Turkish and
Armenian civil society sectors."
In October 2009, Serzh Sarkisian travelled to Bursa and became the
first Armenian president to attend a soccer match in Turkey between
the countries' national teams. A month earlier, President Abdullah
Gul attended a Turkey-Armenia match in Yerevan.
Abrahamyan said journalists have the opportunity to see things from
inside, beyond their personal myths, and to explore the current
realities of both countries.
"I think journalists from both sides have a real mission in finding
and showing personal stories, to ensure that these two societies that
felt apart should learn further about each other," Abrahamyan said.
"For example I decided to show to our people that not all people in
Turkey are denying the facts of 1915, as it is the way to make many
Armenians open their minds for any reconciliation process," she added.
With this in mind, Abrahamyan started a special series of feature
stories, named "Taboo Breakers," to change many stereotypes about
Turks and ensure that Turkish intellectuals like Turkish scholar
Cengiz Aktar and Turkish human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu reach
out to Armenians.
To conduct that series of interviews and build bridges of mutual
understanding between the two countries, Abrahamyan spent almost one
month in Istanbul, with the support of the GPoT and Internews Armenia.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/167943/media-promotes-turkey-armenia-reconciliation.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Journal of Turkish Weekly
June 13 2014
SES Turkiye
13 June 2014
A columnist from Radikal daily who aims to use his position to promote
reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia is the latest recipient of
the Turkey-Armenia Journalism Award.
Istanbul Kultur University's Global Political Trends (GPoT) Centre
honoured Oral Calislar on June 3rd in a ceremony at the Swedish
Consulate in Istanbul. He is the sixth recipient of the award,
which was established to recognise journalists who cover the need
for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement.
Previous recipients include Kadri Gursel from Milliyet daily, Eduard
Mkhitaryan from Armenia's Gala TV, Lilit Gasparyan from Armenian
Yerkir Media, Hilal Kaplan from Yeni Safak daily, and Markar Esayan
from Today's Zaman.
One of Calislar's articles, entitled "My Armenian Brothers and dear
Hrant!" was dedicated to the reconciliation efforts of the late Hrant
Dink, who was murdered in Istanbul in 2007 after writing in his last
column that he had received death threats. Dink was editor-in-chief
of the bilingual Turkish and Armenian weekly Agos newspaper.
In his column, Calislar emphasised that Dink always aimed to establish
friendship between the two countries and tried to encourage both
sides to face their common history in a constructive way.
Calislar also wrote that the condolences offered by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Armenian people on April 23rd represented
the most significant step Turkey has taken on this issue, and could
potentially open a new page in bilateral relations.
Calislar told SES Turkiye that until recently Turkish and Armenian
media have mostly preferred to incite animosity between the two
communities and countries, and have drawn a negative picture of
their relationship.
"However, I believe in the power of the media to play a positive role
in promoting the bilateral relations. It will suffice to be inspired
by the unique legacy of what Hrant had achieved by himself to make the
two communities understand each other better. He always used a critical
but friendly discourse in his media publications," Calislar said.
Calislar added that Turkish media also needs to empathise with its
Armenian counterparts and should not lose heart if its own advances
for reconciliation do not find a quick response from the other side
because Armenian media is often angry, victimised and reactionary --
none of which will be changed overnight.
Mensur Akgun, director of the GPoT Centre, said there is a need for
innovative thinking to overcome existing sociological factors that
prevent the smooth progress of Turkey-Armenia reconciliation.
"First of all, the media representatives from both countries
need to purify themselves from all their stereotyping, biases and
misunderstandings. And for this, they need to be encouraged to visit
each other's country," Akgun told SES Turkiye.
Akgun said he hopes that third countries, which have the courage and
willingness to assist in reconciliation, might develop and fund some
projects of interaction between the media representatives of Turkey
and Armenia.
He added that by going beyond intellectual discourses, such
cross-country initiatives have the potential to change attitudes in
the short to medium term, which would also have repercussions on the
media's reporting.
"We have already reached beyond the psychological threshold with
the condolences of the prime minister on April 23rd. At this point,
maybe the media might be intermediary for convincing the authorities
to take some confidence-building measures -- like building a memorial
for those people who died or had to leave Turkey during 1915 events,"
Akgun added.
Experts also emphasise that media representatives have the power
to touch their readers and audience on a regular basis, and make
an effort to open their mental borders before the land borders are
opened between the two countries.
In November 2011, the GPoT Centre collaborated with the Eurasia
Partnership Foundation and Yerevan Press Club to bring a group of
Turkish journalists to Yerevan for four days as part of a project named
"Dialogue Building Between Turkey and Armenia."
GPoT also organised a two-week Turkey-Armenia media bus tour in
June 2012 to provide 15 Turkish and Armenian journalists with new
networks and first-hand insight for future reporting on Turkey-Armenia
relations. The tour visited historical and cultural sites in both
countries as well as civil society and media representatives' offices.
Similarly, the Hrant Dink Foundation, established following
Dink's murder to commemorate his legacy, has been organising the
Turkey-Armenia Journalists Dialogue Programme since 2009 in a bid
to assist journalists to meet their colleagues and establish direct
links with key institutions and media in the other country.
Gayane Abrahamyan, a Yerevan-based freelance journalist and editor,
told SES Turkiye that Armenian and Turkish societies have little
information about one another, which fuels stereotypes.
"And journalists do the same way," said Abrahamyan, who has written
for ArmeniaNow.com, where she conducted interview projects to reconcile
the two countries.
"Since 2009, with the launch of soccer diplomacy between the presidents
of the two countries, which opened the way to the reconciliation
process, the connections between journalists have been also increased
especially thanks to several projects conducted by the Turkish and
Armenian civil society sectors."
In October 2009, Serzh Sarkisian travelled to Bursa and became the
first Armenian president to attend a soccer match in Turkey between
the countries' national teams. A month earlier, President Abdullah
Gul attended a Turkey-Armenia match in Yerevan.
Abrahamyan said journalists have the opportunity to see things from
inside, beyond their personal myths, and to explore the current
realities of both countries.
"I think journalists from both sides have a real mission in finding
and showing personal stories, to ensure that these two societies that
felt apart should learn further about each other," Abrahamyan said.
"For example I decided to show to our people that not all people in
Turkey are denying the facts of 1915, as it is the way to make many
Armenians open their minds for any reconciliation process," she added.
With this in mind, Abrahamyan started a special series of feature
stories, named "Taboo Breakers," to change many stereotypes about
Turks and ensure that Turkish intellectuals like Turkish scholar
Cengiz Aktar and Turkish human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu reach
out to Armenians.
To conduct that series of interviews and build bridges of mutual
understanding between the two countries, Abrahamyan spent almost one
month in Istanbul, with the support of the GPoT and Internews Armenia.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/167943/media-promotes-turkey-armenia-reconciliation.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress