Tuesday, July 19, 2011
FULYA ÖZERKAN – ANKARA
Turkey’s eastern frontier with Armenia will eventually reopen for cross-border traffic, according to Turkey’s foreign minister
This file photo shows the closed Alican border gate between Turkey and Armenia. DHA photo
Turkey’s eastern frontier with Armenia will eventually reopen for cross-border traffic, according to Turkey’s foreign minister.
“The Turkish foreign minister is sure the border will open sooner or later, so we can come back to Turkey and visit historical sites,” Arthur Ghazaryan of the Union of Manufacturers’ and Businessmen of Armenia told the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday following a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in Ankara. A five-member Armenian group, including business and nongovernmental leaders, met with Davutoğlu and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu to discuss the Turkish-Armenian normalization process and the currently stalled talks on the matter, participants told the Daily News.
“We asked the minister when the process will restart,” said Mikayel Hovhannisyan of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation. “Unfortunately I did not receive any exact date but I received assurance that the Turkish side will implement necessary steps to that end.”
The group told the foreign minister that Armenian society and even the international community were expecting Turkey to move on.
“We said the ball is in Turkey’s court. Armenia is waiting for Turkey to play ball,” said Ghazaryan. “Turkish-Armenian relations are like a train starting to move,” said the Institute for Civil Society and Regional Development’s Aghavni Karakhanian, another Armenian attending the meeting. “There is no reverse we can only go forward. We cannot stop the moving train.”
The Armenians said they were impressed by the open and frank discussions at the ministry. Richard Giragosian of the Regional Studies Center said he was first impressed by the “amount of time” the ministry gave them and the fact the foreign minister was “very forthcoming.” “I was impressed by the quality of Davutoğlu and his open and frank exchange with us.”
The 1915 events were also discussed during the meeting. The visiting group said there was much more awareness in Turkey now compared to a couple of years ago. Giragosian said he told Davutoğlu the mental border was open between the two neighboring countries despite the sealed border – something the foreign minister agreed on, he added.
11 May 2012
Ten young filmmakers from Armenia and Turkey participated in the Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform (ATCP) workshop held in Istanbul on April 12-13, 2012 on the sidelines of the 31st Istanbul International Film Festival. The participating film projects, five per country, were handpicked by the ATCP pre-selection committee from among 35 applications.
03 May 2012
Caucasus Research Resource Centers-Armenia (CRRC-Armenia) is currently seeking for a person to fill in the position of Office Manager. Under the direct supervision of CRRC-Armenia Director, Office Manager is required to handle office management issues, such as procurement, travel arrangements, event organizations, service contracting and other related duties. For details please download the file attached. To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV indicating a list of three referees in English by May 16, 2012 to e-mail hr@crrc.am.
13 April 2012
The next workshop of the Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform (ATCP) will be held in Istanbul from Thursday to Saturday. The ATCP 2012 Program is carried out with the support by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF).
Copyright © 2007 Eurasia Partnership. Last updated: 11 May 2012
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