Turkish historian Taner Akçam, one of the leading authorities on the Armenian Genocide, received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his steadfast devotion to uncovering the truth behind the historic tragic event.
The award was presented in a ceremony held by one of the leading Armenian organisations, the Knights and Daughters of Vartan in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
Akçam, a professor of Armenian genocide studies at Clark University in Massachusetts, is one of the first Turkish intellectuals to acknowledge and openly discuss the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian American historian Jirair Libaridian, poet Peter Balakian, prominent Turkish modern dance master Zeynep Tanbay, and Ahval's chief editor Yavuz Baydar were present at the ceremony.
Another notable participant of the event, Dikran Cherchiyan, the son of Hagop Vahram Cherchiyan, an Istanbul Armenian who designed the signature of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, told Ahval the story behind the signature and recognition of Armenian Genocide in Turkey.