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ISTANBUL: Turkish, Armenian journalists meet to find `common ground'

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  • ISTANBUL: Turkish, Armenian journalists meet to find `common ground'

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    May 1 2011


    Turkish, Armenian journalists meet to find `common ground'

    01 May 2011, Sunday / SERVET YANATMA, WASHINGTON, D.C.

    Participants in the Turkish-Armenian journalism internship program
    seeking to foster stronger relations between the two nations together
    during their stay in the US.

    A Turkish and an Armenian journalist are together in the US on April
    24, the day Armenians mark as the anniversary of Armenians being
    killed at the hand of Ottomans in 1915. They sit at the same table for
    an Easter meal, telling about the cuisines of their culture to their
    American host family.

    It immediately emerges that their food cultures have much in common.
    Many dishes even have the same name. Of course, `serious issues' also
    come to the agenda. However, both of them try to make comments that
    would not `disturb' the other. Young people of the two countries are
    now able to discuss many issues without getting hung up on the
    `genocide' debate.

    Although Turkey and Armenia have yet to normalize bilateral relations,
    things are moving much faster in the civil society wing of the
    normalization efforts. Six Turkish and six Armenian journalism interns
    came together in the US last week to attend a joint internship
    program, in a move to strengthen communication between one another, as
    journalists have a role in shaping their country's today and tomorrow.
    In this way, they will obtain direct knowledge about their neighbors
    and better understand each other.

    The program had many parts. The journalists first attended courses on
    American media for a week in Washington. They also had courses on
    issues such as journalism, media ethics, conflict resolution and
    mediation. The most important part of the program, which is still
    under way, is the second phase. The journalists were divided into six
    groups, each consisting of a Turkish and an Armenian journalist. They
    visited a number of states for three weeks. They follow news stories,
    attend editorial meetings and examine the news editing process at
    American newspapers. This is of course not a one-sided learning
    process. They are also exchanging views about their profession with
    their American colleagues.

    The internship program is not just limited to the office. Perhaps the
    most colorful part of the program is that the interns are staying in
    the homes of the staff of local journalists. They are observing their
    colleagues' working methods and lifestyles. This is also a good
    opportunity for the three parties -- American, Turkish and Armenian
    journalists -- to get to know one another's cultures.

    The conversations at the dinner tables are mostly centered on Turkish
    and Armenian dishes. Americans are asking about them and Turkish and
    Armenian journalists are answering. It is impossible to skip 1915
    incidents during these conversations. However, the debate aims to
    understand each other rather than engaging in an argument. Armenian
    journalists are aware of the change in Turkey in recent years in
    approaching this issue and they are pleased with that.

    Conferences in Yerevan, Ankara

    The dates that coincide with the internship program are also
    noteworthy. The six teams, each compromising a Turkish and an Armenian
    journalist, came together on April 24, the anniversary of the deaths
    of Anatolian Armenians during World War I, which is marked as
    `Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.' Some of the Armenian journalists
    attended commemoration ceremonies of the Armenian diaspora. Some of
    them went to church with Americans since April 24 also coincided with
    Easter, one of the major holidays in Christianity.

    One major leg of the program is the joint `border projects' the six
    groups will take part in. Some of them will examine the possible
    economic outcomes of reopening the Turkish-Armenian border. The border
    between Turkey and Armenia has been shut for 14 years due to deep
    political disagreements between the two neighboring countries. Some of
    them will travel to border villages to question the meaning of the
    border for the villagers and some of them will research Armenian
    architects in the Ottoman era.

    The program is not limited to just those things. In June, six
    Armenian and Turkish journalists and the editors of the dailies they
    worked as interns for will get together at a conference in Ankara. The
    joint border projects will be presented at this conference and the
    stories encountered during the projects will be shared with the
    public. Soon after this conference, the same team will head to Yerevan
    and hold the same conference there.

    The program is being carried out by the Washington-based International
    Center for Journalists (ICFJ). The project is funded by US Department
    of State as well as the US embassies in Ankara and Yerevan. The US
    administration believes that the normalization between the two
    countries can only be ensured through improvement of dialogue between
    the two countries. Journalists are the first group which comes to mind
    when the issue is dialogue.




    From: A. Papazian
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