ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PHOTOJOURNALISTS’ JOINT EXHIBITION OPENS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Oct 25 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. Exhibition of Armenian and Turkish
photojournalists under the title Merhabarev took place on October
25 at Moscow cinema of Yerevan. The exhibition was organized by
the Caucasian Media Institute with the sponsorship of the Embassy
of Switzerland in RA. The Merhabarev is the first joint program of
photojournalists of Patkerphoto Armenian and Nar Turkish agencies. In
the words of the Patkerphoto founder, photographer Ruben Mangasarian,
five Armenian photographers took photos of Istanbul and five Turkish
photographers took some pictures in Yerevan streets. In the words
of Turkish photojournalist Oscan Yurdalan, the exhibition’s name,
Merhabarev, is a double greeting consisting of Turkish word "merhaba"
and Armenian "barev" (greeting). He said that he communicates with
his Armenian colleagues "in the language of documentary photography,
which enables "to concentrate upon the present at the same time sending
a message to the future." And photojournalist Anahit Hayrapetian said
that in Istanbul she has worked with representatives of various local
strata and has never met any obstacle or pressure. "We, Armenians,
by saying "Turks" imagine a savage people, which indeed is not so,"
Anahit said. As she affirmed, it is already time that ice between
the two peoples melt.