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MEDIA BUS TOUR TO KICK OFF FOR TURKEY-ARMENIA NORMALIZATION
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 12 2014
October 12, 2014, Sunday/ 00:00:00/ OSMAN UNALAN / ISTANBUL
The Eurasia Partnership Foundation's Media Bus Tour is slated to start
Monday, Oct. 13, as a project within the "Support to the Armenia-Turkey
Normalization Process" program and will feature the participation
of filmmakers, bloggers and print, video and photo journalists from
Armenia and Turkey.
The program is being implemented by a consortium of eight civil society
organizations from Armenia and Turkey with financial assistance from
the European Union under the Instrument for Stability (IfS).
The current tour will take place between Oct. 13 and 26, in Turkey and
Armenia. Up to 10 journalists each from both Armenia and Turkey will
be able to participate in the tour. Journalists will come together
in Ýstanbul to start the tour and will travel to different parts of
Turkey, including Ýstanbul, Ýzmir, Fethiye, Antalya, Cappadocia and
Ankara, as well as Armenia, including Dilijan, Yerevan, Lake Sevan,
Sisian and Garni.
Participants will prepare videos, interviews and articles to be
published by their home media outlets and on social networks. The
purpose of the tour is to provide an opportunity for journalists
and bloggers from Armenia and Turkey to explore the neighboring
countries and rediscover their own country. This way, participants
hope to learn about one another and establish professional connections
between media professionals from the two countries.
Armenian member organizations of the consortium include the Civilitas
Foundation (CF), the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), the Public
Journalism Club (PJC) and the Regional Studies Center (RSC); Turkish
member groups include Anadolu Kultur, the Economic Policy Research
Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (hCa),
and the Hrant Dink Foundation.
The very first Media Bus Tour was implemented by the Media Initiatives
Center (formerly Internews-Armenia) in the summer of 2011. The second
tour was held between May 24 and June 6, 2012, and that year the
EPF organized a tour for a group of 18 journalists and bloggers from
Armenia and Turkey.
The group traveled around Turkey and Armenia; visited historic and
cultural sites; met representatives of the government, civil society,
media, academia and think tanks; and heard varying perspectives on
Armenia-Turkey normalization.
The bus tour offered a unique opportunity for the participating
journalists and bloggers to establish human and professional
connections among each other, to re-explore their own country, to
learn about the neighboring country and to better comprehend the
hurdles and nuances associated with the Armenia-Turkey dialogue by
meeting people on the ground.
This year's tour will introduce the participants to the culturally,
politically and socially important stakeholders of the other country in
addition to the activities of the other members of the consortium and
of EU activities in Turkey and Armenia. The tour is aimed at providing
an environment that promotes dialogue based on sharing and debate.
At the end of the tour, it is hoped that the Turkish and Armenian
participating media professionals and their media organizations will
have developed human and professional connections. All participating
media professionals will publish print or video reports through their
respective media outlets or social networks.
'Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalization Process'
The overall objective of the Support to the "Armenia-Turkey
Normalization Process" program is to promote civil society efforts
towards the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia
and towards an open border. The program does so by enhancing
person-to-person contact, expanding economic and business links,
promoting cultural and educational activities and facilitating access
to balanced information in both societies.
In a statement on April 23, 2014, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan extended condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who
were killed in 1915. Erdoðan's surprising statement came just one day
before April 24, when Armenians commemorate the events they describe
as genocide.
Then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu said at a reception on April 24
that the prime minister's statement had not been issued under pressure
from anyone and that it should be seen as a "call" to Armenians.
Stressing that Turkey is attempting to share the pain of Armenians,
Davutoðlu expressed his hope that Armenians would respond positively
to the prime minister's call so that Turks and Armenians can build
a future and make history together.
Speaking to journalists at the same reception Erdoðan said that
without a solution to some issues, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute, Turkey will not consider opening the borders.
Diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict have
failed for the past 20 years. After Armenia occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territory in the early 1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh,
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_media-bus-tour-to-kick-off-for-turkey-armenia-normalization_361323.html
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 12 2014
October 12, 2014, Sunday/ 00:00:00/ OSMAN UNALAN / ISTANBUL
The Eurasia Partnership Foundation's Media Bus Tour is slated to start
Monday, Oct. 13, as a project within the "Support to the Armenia-Turkey
Normalization Process" program and will feature the participation
of filmmakers, bloggers and print, video and photo journalists from
Armenia and Turkey.
The program is being implemented by a consortium of eight civil society
organizations from Armenia and Turkey with financial assistance from
the European Union under the Instrument for Stability (IfS).
The current tour will take place between Oct. 13 and 26, in Turkey and
Armenia. Up to 10 journalists each from both Armenia and Turkey will
be able to participate in the tour. Journalists will come together
in Ýstanbul to start the tour and will travel to different parts of
Turkey, including Ýstanbul, Ýzmir, Fethiye, Antalya, Cappadocia and
Ankara, as well as Armenia, including Dilijan, Yerevan, Lake Sevan,
Sisian and Garni.
Participants will prepare videos, interviews and articles to be
published by their home media outlets and on social networks. The
purpose of the tour is to provide an opportunity for journalists
and bloggers from Armenia and Turkey to explore the neighboring
countries and rediscover their own country. This way, participants
hope to learn about one another and establish professional connections
between media professionals from the two countries.
Armenian member organizations of the consortium include the Civilitas
Foundation (CF), the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), the Public
Journalism Club (PJC) and the Regional Studies Center (RSC); Turkish
member groups include Anadolu Kultur, the Economic Policy Research
Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (hCa),
and the Hrant Dink Foundation.
The very first Media Bus Tour was implemented by the Media Initiatives
Center (formerly Internews-Armenia) in the summer of 2011. The second
tour was held between May 24 and June 6, 2012, and that year the
EPF organized a tour for a group of 18 journalists and bloggers from
Armenia and Turkey.
The group traveled around Turkey and Armenia; visited historic and
cultural sites; met representatives of the government, civil society,
media, academia and think tanks; and heard varying perspectives on
Armenia-Turkey normalization.
The bus tour offered a unique opportunity for the participating
journalists and bloggers to establish human and professional
connections among each other, to re-explore their own country, to
learn about the neighboring country and to better comprehend the
hurdles and nuances associated with the Armenia-Turkey dialogue by
meeting people on the ground.
This year's tour will introduce the participants to the culturally,
politically and socially important stakeholders of the other country in
addition to the activities of the other members of the consortium and
of EU activities in Turkey and Armenia. The tour is aimed at providing
an environment that promotes dialogue based on sharing and debate.
At the end of the tour, it is hoped that the Turkish and Armenian
participating media professionals and their media organizations will
have developed human and professional connections. All participating
media professionals will publish print or video reports through their
respective media outlets or social networks.
'Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalization Process'
The overall objective of the Support to the "Armenia-Turkey
Normalization Process" program is to promote civil society efforts
towards the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia
and towards an open border. The program does so by enhancing
person-to-person contact, expanding economic and business links,
promoting cultural and educational activities and facilitating access
to balanced information in both societies.
In a statement on April 23, 2014, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan extended condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who
were killed in 1915. Erdoðan's surprising statement came just one day
before April 24, when Armenians commemorate the events they describe
as genocide.
Then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu said at a reception on April 24
that the prime minister's statement had not been issued under pressure
from anyone and that it should be seen as a "call" to Armenians.
Stressing that Turkey is attempting to share the pain of Armenians,
Davutoðlu expressed his hope that Armenians would respond positively
to the prime minister's call so that Turks and Armenians can build
a future and make history together.
Speaking to journalists at the same reception Erdoðan said that
without a solution to some issues, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute, Turkey will not consider opening the borders.
Diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict have
failed for the past 20 years. After Armenia occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territory in the early 1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh,
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan.
http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_media-bus-tour-to-kick-off-for-turkey-armenia-normalization_361323.html
From: A. Papazian