Hürriyet, Turkey
Nov 29 2008
A vintage blend of the Caucasus
YEREVAN – After Caucasus cheese, an Armenian businessman and peace
activist plans to blend grapes from across the region to produce a
perfect Caucasus wine. He believes an appetite for good food goes a
long way to create an appetite for peace
Grapes from vineyards in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia are going to
be blended together to create a perfect vintage of Caucasian wine that
will be the latest effort by a group of businessmen from across the
Caucasus.
The initiative comes only a few months after the same businessmen
produced the first Caucasian cheese under a joint brand by Georgia,
Turkey and Armenia.
The Center for non-Traditional Methods for Conflict Resolution, or
CCPNTCRM, and its founding president, Artush Lazarian, were the
brains behind the cheese, which went on sale this May with labels
printed in Turkish, Armenian and Georgian.
Lazarian spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review
about his projects for the near future.
The effort dubbed "cheese diplomacy" kicked off several actions that
significantly boosted the bilateral contact between the two nations.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül going to tna Armenian capital to
watch the football match between Turkish and Armenian national teams
Sept. 6 and the Armenian Foreign Minister coming this week to attend
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, or BSEC, meeting were only the
most public displays of the recent efforts to improve the relations
between the two neighboring countries.
Gül’s visit may have been the culmination of years of work by
diplomats, but some may note that it came only a few months after the
Caucasian cheese was released onto the market, which might reflect the
improving cultural and commercial ties over the past few years, with
businessmen and artists taking the lead.
Entrepreneurs, for whom time is money, cannot afford long delays in
improving official ties, and partners from Georgia, Armenia and Turkey
have decided not to wait.
Immediately after the Caucasian cheese started to appear on market
shelves, Lazarian begun to work on the production of a vintage of
wine, which does not have a name yet. Using grapes from vineyards of
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia, he brought together the tastes of the
Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani in the same bottle. The wine will be
on the market in the next few months with a label that will read in
three languages.
Lazarian said he found his inspiration for the wine in the
Bible. "God’s word is in the grape and the wine. I placed my heart on
the side of friendship and peace," he said.
Lazarian is already working on a dessert composed of fruits from the
countries of the Caucasian for his next project after the wine is on
the market.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress