Agence France Presse
March 21, 2009 Saturday 10:48 AM GMT

Turkey to launch Armenian-language radio station: report

ANKARA, March 21 2009

Turkey’s state broadcaster plans to launch an Armenian-language radio
station this year, Turkish newspapers reported Saturday, amid efforts
by Turkey and neighbouring Armenia to end decades of animosity.

Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) is hoping to have the station on
air in "two to three" months, the Sabah and Vatan dailies said,
without giving further details.

Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade as their relationship remains hostage to
deep differences over the World War I massacres of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of Turkey.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were systematically
killed by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1917 as their empire fell
apart — a claim supported by several other countries but
categorically rejected by Turkey.

The massacres led to the once-vibrant Armenian minority to dwindle to
an estimated 80,000 people.

Nonetheless, the two countries have been involved in a tentative
dialogue process to resolve their problems.

Turkey’s planned radio station comes as US lawmakers were pushing
President Barack Obama to recognize the killings as genocide even
though such a step would anger Turkey.

Obama, who is expected to visit Turkey on April 6-7, repeatedly
pledged during his 2008 White House run that he would recognize the
massacres as genocide.

Turkey has warned that such a move by the United States would only
impede reconciliation efforts between Ankara and Yerevan.