Armenia-Turkey Policy Discussions in Istanbul and Ankara
Yerevan, Armenia – Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) together with the Istanbul-based Global Political Trends Center (GPoT) and with funding from USAID held Armenia-Turkey policy discussions in Istanbul and Ankara on July 8-9, 2010.
On July 8, 2010, GPoT hosted a conference titled ‘Turkey-Armenia Policy Discussions’ at Istanbul Kültür University with participation of Turkish and international journalists, diplomats and opinion-makers. David Hovhannisyan, Ambassador (ret.) and Professor at Yerevan State University, and Joost Lagendijk, Senior Adviser with Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University, spoke at a round table moderated by Osman Kavala, Chairman of the Board of Anadolu Kultur. The group from Armenia then visited Doğan Media Center to meet with Mehmet Ali Birand, renowned Turkish journalist, political commentator and writer, and Ferhat Boratav, Advisor to CNNTürk, and made a tour of CNNTürk studios.
On the second day of the Project, the group was in Ankara to meet with several senior Turkish officials. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the Director-General of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, hosted GPoT and EPF. Mr. Sinirlioğlu spoke on the current situation in Turkish-Armenian relations and explained the Ministry’s vision in carrying the relationship forward. The group then visited the Turkish Parliament to meet with Suat Kınıklıoğlu, MP (AKP), Deputy Director of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson for Parliament’s Foreign Relations Commission, and Yaşar Yakış, MP (AKP), former Minister of Foreign Affairs and ambassador. Mr. Kınıklıoğlu and Mr. Yakış also briefed the group on the government’s activities and stance on Armenian-Turkish rapprochement and answered questions.
The meetings in Istanbul and Ankara built on the Yerevan leg of the USAID-funded ‘Days Two and Three in Armenia – Turkey Rapprochement’ project, further fortified the relationship between GPoT Center and EPF Armenia, as well as established new ties between Turkish and Armenian journalists and opinion-makers involved in diplomatic, educational and cultural processes.
19.07.2010
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