UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ORGANIZE A TURKISH-ARMENIAN DIALOGUE CAMP

armradio.am
17.02.2009 12:20

In an attempt to break stereotypes between the countries, university
students have organized a Turkish-Armenian dialogue camp, held in
the central Anatolian city of NevÅ~_ehir.

The camp’s objective was to make acquaintances between Turkish and
Armenian university students to overcome existing prejudices between
the two nations. Eighty university students from Turkey and 20 from
Armenia spent a week in a hotel in Urgup, an important tourism center
of the Cappadocia region, Hurriyet Daily reports.

The project was initiated by the Turkish University Students’
Approaches and was also sponsored by the Turkish Economic and Social
Studies Foundation, or TESEV, the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and
daily Agos.

The camp held art workshops, concerts, panel discussions and
meetings. At the end of the camp, participating students released a
joint statement which read, "We are disturbed by the fact that the
Turkish and Armenian communities, which have been living together
for centuries, are alienated and have turned against each other due
to both sides’ polices regarding the 1915 events."

"We believe that relations between these two sister nations should be
founded on the basis of peace and friendship and not on the dilemma
of deportation or genocide. This is only possible by getting together
through projects and campaigns,=2 0which we believe will develop
quickly with the active participation of young people," read the
statement.

"The dialogue between Turkish and Armenian students will pave the way
for ideas toward a solution. Our dialogue camp will be the first step
in this process," it read.

Meanwhile another step for Turkish-Armenian dialogue came from the
Higher Education Board, which issued permission for the opening of
a second Armenian Culture and Literature Faculty, daily Hurriyet
reported.

Deputy Rector of Erciyes University Professor Metin Hulagu said the
faculty will start admissions for the 2009-2010 academic year if the
faculty could hire academic staff within two months.