Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 30 2009

Foundation to increase projects with Turkey

The Eurasia Partnership Foundation’s (EPF) Yerevan office is planning
to increase Armenian-Turkish cross-border dialogue and cooperation
through more projects to contribute to the normalization of relations
between the two countries.

Vaksan Garabetyan, responsible for cross-border projects at the
foundation, recently said that in November of last year the government
of Norway awarded $210,000 to the foundation to implement two
projects. One of them is Protecting the Rights of Armenian Migrants in
Turkey with the goal of reducing illegal labor migration from Armenia
to Turkey and increasing the legal awareness of Armenian migrants in
Turkey.

The other project is Reducing Media Bias in Armenia and Turkey, which
will foster a cooperative network of editors, journalists and media
civil society organizations from Armenia and Turkey.

The foundation is also working with its Turkish counterparts, such as
the Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (Community
Volunteers Foundation) to promote relations among youth from Turkey,
Armenia and Georgia and to bring them together in a summer camp. In
2008, as part of the EPF’s Musical Bridge project, Turkish violinist
Cihat AÅ?kın gave a concert in Yerevan and Armenian
violinist Eduard Tadevosyan gave a concert in
Ä°stanbul. Performances by the KardeÅ?
Türküler and Sayat-Nova groups held in Yerevan and
Vanadzor also attracted hundreds of people.

Garabetyan said they request and obtain security protection from the
Armenian government when they bring a guest from Azerbaijan to Armenia
but that there is no such concern for their Turkish guests.

30 May 2009, Saturday
YONCA POYRAZ DOÄ?AN YEREVAN/Ä°STANBUL