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TURKISH, ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS WANT GREATER INTERACTION
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Oct 16 2014
ISTANBUL - 16.10.2014 18:52:47
by Osman Unalan
A group of Turkish and Armenian journalists and bloggers traveling
across Turkey and Armenia via Georgia between Oct. 13-26 in order
to gain firsthand insight on their neighbors say the closed border
between Turkey and Armenia is negatively affecting relations between
the two countries, advocating for the reopening of borders which will
improve the normalization process.
The journalists started out from Ä°stanbul on Oct. 13 and will
travel to different cities including Ä°zmir, Denizli, Fethiye,
Antalya, Cappadocia and Ankara to observe Turkey's economic and social
development. They will continue their tour in Armenian cities including
Dilijan, Yerevan, Lake Sevan, Sisian and Garni.
Vazgen Karapetyan, the deputy director of the Armenian-based Eurasia
Partnership Foundation (EPF), the main organizer of the Turkey-Armenia
Media Bus Tour, told Today's Zaman that the official purpose of the
tour is to establish human and professional relations between a group
of Turkish and Armenian journalist and bloggers. Karapetyan said the
organizing consortium partners -- four from each country -- decided
to have Turkish and Armenian-based participants re-explore their own
country and their neighboring country through the lives of everyday
Turks and Armenians. The participants' one-on-one interactions will
open more doors for their future readers and viewers who can then
better understand what their neighbors are truly thinking about,
Karapetyan added.
The Hrant Dink Foundation, one of the members of the consortium,
and the Agos daily, an Armenian newspaper published in Turkish
and Armenian, hosted the group in their offices in Ä°stanbul. The
journalists visited the office of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of
Agos who was killed on the street in front of his office in 2007.
Speaking on the approaches of the Armenian and Turkish governments to
the program, Karapetyan said it 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 EU delegations negotiated with the governments
of both sides to finalize the program of the project and the bus tour.
Karapetyan said the states are not taking part in the schedule of the
trip as the present political conditions do not allow them to be seen
in the program.
The very first Media Bus Tour was implemented by Internews-Armenia in
the summer of 2011 and EPF has been organizing the tours for the last
two years, the EPF deputy director said. "We have good personal and
professional-level interactions between the journalists and bloggers
from the two countries which is embodied in many media platforms in
both countries. And we believe that the governments of Turkey and
Armenia cannot keep turning a blind eye to the good developments on
this level," Karapetyan noted.
When asked about the programs for the 100th anniversary of the 1915
events, Karapetyan said Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
had extended an invitation from the Armenian president to Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during Erdogan's oath-taking ceremony
in August to participate in the 100th anniversary programs in Yerevan.
"There is no hope of a positive reply," Karapetyan said, as Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu later announced a commemoration of
Gallipoli on the same day as the programs in Yerevan.
"We are entering a complicated period as both governments will try
to override the other." Karapetyan also stated civil society will
always keep its hopes of a normalization of relations between the
two communities alive despite the political developments.
Kenton TV and Radio Van reporter Lusine Badalyan said it is really
difficult for an average Armenian to have a good impression of a
Turk due to the 1915 events. Because of that, they don't think too
kindly of Armenians in Turkey who serve the Turkish state or have
Turkish friends who Armenians believe killed their ancestors in
1915. Badalyan said the journalists who participated in the Media Bus
Tour from Armenia aim to at least soften the views of the Armenian
public to start community-level talks or interactions between Turks
and Armenians. Thus it is important to open the border gates to start
interactions between the two nations.
The Armenian-language Haykakan Jamanak daily's correspondent Taguhi
Hovhannisyan told Today's Zaman that state-level interactions between
Turkey and Armenia are very limited because of Azerbaijan as Turkey
stands on the side of Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
the main problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh after an armed conflict between 1988 and 1994 and
the occupation remains a source of diplomatic and social problem
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Hovhannisyan believes one of the main obstacles ahead of
the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey is the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. People in Armenia and Turkey were hopeful
when Turkey successfully implemented its "zero problems with neighbors"
policy under then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and when then-Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the Armenians
who lost their family members and comrades in the 1915 events on
Ottoman soil.
The Turkish and Armenian states offered to open their archives to
an academic council including sociologists, historians and political
scientist from both countries to study the 1915 events and illuminate
the truth. But these processes also broke down due to political
reasons, says Hovhannisyan. The political leadership of both nations
must let scientists study the archives if they want normalization at
the state and society levels, Hovhannisyan added.
Armenian youths more concerned about 1915
Eurasia Partnership Foundation Program Development Manager Marina
Ayvazyan talking on support for the Armenia-Turkey normalization
process told Today's Zaman that the program doesn't have any
preconditions as the Armenian side is ready for talks with Turkey
unless Ankara insists on bringing Nagorno-Karabakh to the agenda
which brings Azerbaijan in between. Ayvazyan said that it will bring
the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations off track.
When asked about recognition of the 1915 events as a genocide,
Ayvazyan said there has been no specific public survey to discern
the opinion of the Armenian community on the 1915 events but as far
as civil society initiations and nongovernmental organizations are
concerned, they are insistent on a state apology from the Turkish
state. Ayvazyan added that the new generation is more knowledgeable
on the issue compared to the older people in Armenia because people
living in the Soviet Union had limited resources to learn but today's
generation has more access to information.
Speaking about the 100 year anniversary of the 1915 events, Ayvazyan
said people will continue to work and lobby as before if even there is
no state apology. A normalization and interactions between the people
of the two countries will help the political leadership normalize
state-level relations as well, Ayvazyan summarized.
Anna Muradyan, a freelance journalist who participated in the Media
Bus Tour, told Today's Zaman that there are many similar things in
the daily life of an Armenian and a Turk as there are many common
names in dishes, names and surnames, street and location names or
terms that are used in daily life. For instance surnames like Demircan
and Kafescan are very common in Armenia. The Armenians who fled from
the Ottoman Empire in 1915 still use the older names of their towns,
streets or neighborhoods in Armenia like Malatya Sebasia in Yerevan.
Many words Armenian and Turkish words in their daily life are similar
or have similar pronunciations. The word "bardak" in Turkish is
"bajak" in Armenian, both of which refer to a glass. Baklava, the
famous Turkish desert, is called Pahlava in Armenian, hazelnut is
pronounced as "fındık" in Turkish and "pinduk" in Armenian while
the word faster is "cabuk" in Turkish and "cabuk" in Armenian.
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Turkish-Armenian-journalists-want-greater-interaction_9053-CHMTU1OTA1My8xMDA1
From: A. Papazian
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Oct 16 2014
ISTANBUL - 16.10.2014 18:52:47
by Osman Unalan
A group of Turkish and Armenian journalists and bloggers traveling
across Turkey and Armenia via Georgia between Oct. 13-26 in order
to gain firsthand insight on their neighbors say the closed border
between Turkey and Armenia is negatively affecting relations between
the two countries, advocating for the reopening of borders which will
improve the normalization process.
The journalists started out from Ä°stanbul on Oct. 13 and will
travel to different cities including Ä°zmir, Denizli, Fethiye,
Antalya, Cappadocia and Ankara to observe Turkey's economic and social
development. They will continue their tour in Armenian cities including
Dilijan, Yerevan, Lake Sevan, Sisian and Garni.
Vazgen Karapetyan, the deputy director of the Armenian-based Eurasia
Partnership Foundation (EPF), the main organizer of the Turkey-Armenia
Media Bus Tour, told Today's Zaman that the official purpose of the
tour is to establish human and professional relations between a group
of Turkish and Armenian journalist and bloggers. Karapetyan said the
organizing consortium partners -- four from each country -- decided
to have Turkish and Armenian-based participants re-explore their own
country and their neighboring country through the lives of everyday
Turks and Armenians. The participants' one-on-one interactions will
open more doors for their future readers and viewers who can then
better understand what their neighbors are truly thinking about,
Karapetyan added.
The Hrant Dink Foundation, one of the members of the consortium,
and the Agos daily, an Armenian newspaper published in Turkish
and Armenian, hosted the group in their offices in Ä°stanbul. The
journalists visited the office of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of
Agos who was killed on the street in front of his office in 2007.
Speaking on the approaches of the Armenian and Turkish governments to
the program, Karapetyan said it 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 EU delegations negotiated with the governments
of both sides to finalize the program of the project and the bus tour.
Karapetyan said the states are not taking part in the schedule of the
trip as the present political conditions do not allow them to be seen
in the program.
The very first Media Bus Tour was implemented by Internews-Armenia in
the summer of 2011 and EPF has been organizing the tours for the last
two years, the EPF deputy director said. "We have good personal and
professional-level interactions between the journalists and bloggers
from the two countries which is embodied in many media platforms in
both countries. And we believe that the governments of Turkey and
Armenia cannot keep turning a blind eye to the good developments on
this level," Karapetyan noted.
When asked about the programs for the 100th anniversary of the 1915
events, Karapetyan said Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
had extended an invitation from the Armenian president to Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during Erdogan's oath-taking ceremony
in August to participate in the 100th anniversary programs in Yerevan.
"There is no hope of a positive reply," Karapetyan said, as Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu later announced a commemoration of
Gallipoli on the same day as the programs in Yerevan.
"We are entering a complicated period as both governments will try
to override the other." Karapetyan also stated civil society will
always keep its hopes of a normalization of relations between the
two communities alive despite the political developments.
Kenton TV and Radio Van reporter Lusine Badalyan said it is really
difficult for an average Armenian to have a good impression of a
Turk due to the 1915 events. Because of that, they don't think too
kindly of Armenians in Turkey who serve the Turkish state or have
Turkish friends who Armenians believe killed their ancestors in
1915. Badalyan said the journalists who participated in the Media Bus
Tour from Armenia aim to at least soften the views of the Armenian
public to start community-level talks or interactions between Turks
and Armenians. Thus it is important to open the border gates to start
interactions between the two nations.
The Armenian-language Haykakan Jamanak daily's correspondent Taguhi
Hovhannisyan told Today's Zaman that state-level interactions between
Turkey and Armenia are very limited because of Azerbaijan as Turkey
stands on the side of Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
the main problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh after an armed conflict between 1988 and 1994 and
the occupation remains a source of diplomatic and social problem
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Hovhannisyan believes one of the main obstacles ahead of
the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey is the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. People in Armenia and Turkey were hopeful
when Turkey successfully implemented its "zero problems with neighbors"
policy under then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and when then-Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the Armenians
who lost their family members and comrades in the 1915 events on
Ottoman soil.
The Turkish and Armenian states offered to open their archives to
an academic council including sociologists, historians and political
scientist from both countries to study the 1915 events and illuminate
the truth. But these processes also broke down due to political
reasons, says Hovhannisyan. The political leadership of both nations
must let scientists study the archives if they want normalization at
the state and society levels, Hovhannisyan added.
Armenian youths more concerned about 1915
Eurasia Partnership Foundation Program Development Manager Marina
Ayvazyan talking on support for the Armenia-Turkey normalization
process told Today's Zaman that the program doesn't have any
preconditions as the Armenian side is ready for talks with Turkey
unless Ankara insists on bringing Nagorno-Karabakh to the agenda
which brings Azerbaijan in between. Ayvazyan said that it will bring
the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations off track.
When asked about recognition of the 1915 events as a genocide,
Ayvazyan said there has been no specific public survey to discern
the opinion of the Armenian community on the 1915 events but as far
as civil society initiations and nongovernmental organizations are
concerned, they are insistent on a state apology from the Turkish
state. Ayvazyan added that the new generation is more knowledgeable
on the issue compared to the older people in Armenia because people
living in the Soviet Union had limited resources to learn but today's
generation has more access to information.
Speaking about the 100 year anniversary of the 1915 events, Ayvazyan
said people will continue to work and lobby as before if even there is
no state apology. A normalization and interactions between the people
of the two countries will help the political leadership normalize
state-level relations as well, Ayvazyan summarized.
Anna Muradyan, a freelance journalist who participated in the Media
Bus Tour, told Today's Zaman that there are many similar things in
the daily life of an Armenian and a Turk as there are many common
names in dishes, names and surnames, street and location names or
terms that are used in daily life. For instance surnames like Demircan
and Kafescan are very common in Armenia. The Armenians who fled from
the Ottoman Empire in 1915 still use the older names of their towns,
streets or neighborhoods in Armenia like Malatya Sebasia in Yerevan.
Many words Armenian and Turkish words in their daily life are similar
or have similar pronunciations. The word "bardak" in Turkish is
"bajak" in Armenian, both of which refer to a glass. Baklava, the
famous Turkish desert, is called Pahlava in Armenian, hazelnut is
pronounced as "fındık" in Turkish and "pinduk" in Armenian while
the word faster is "cabuk" in Turkish and "cabuk" in Armenian.
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Turkish-Armenian-journalists-want-greater-interaction_9053-CHMTU1OTA1My8xMDA1
From: A. Papazian