Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 25 2005
Hurriyet
Armenian Radical Poured Wine Over Turkish Professor
Turkish professor not to press charges about poured wine
A recent incident wherein wine was poured over the shirt of Turkish
professor and “Radikal” newspaper journalist Murat Belge in the
Yerevan hotel where he was staying has been revealed to be the work
of a deranged local, and nothing more. Belge characterized the event
as being “ridiculous, nothing to take too seriously,” and said that
he was not going to press any charges against the man.
Belge also noted that the person who poured the wine over him as he
sat in the cafe of the Yerevan Marriot Hotel did not in fact ask him
whether he was Turkish prior to doing so. At the time, Belge was
sitting with a group of Turks and Armenians, including the head
editor of the Armenian “Agos” newspaper, Hurant Dink, as well as with
historian Taner Akcam.
Incident not to prevent dialogue from continuing
Following the incident in Yerevan, the Armenian Foreign Ministry also
expressed sorrow for the unpleasantness, as did the wife of
controversial “Ararat” film director, Arsinee Hanjian. Said Hanjian,
“By coming together with scientists and writers from Turkey, we’ve
tried to open a dialogue on these issues. And we’ve succeeded. So
this incident was a completely personal thing, and it does not
reflect on our relationships at all.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress