While the diplomatic efforts for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement have been suspended and do not seem to be advancing in the short term, civil society organizations on both sides are continuing to work to create opportunities for achieving better understanding between the two societies.One of these initiatives, “A Common Future for Turkey and Armenia Multi-Track Diplomacy Project” organized by the Society and Democracy Foundation, took place between June 28-30 in İstanbul, in which 10 Turkish university students came together with 10 Armenian students for three days. During the program the participants not only discussed the problems between the two states, but also, through the social activities that they participated in, how they have been able to get a better understanding of the “other side.”
Explaining the motives behind such a project, general coordinator of the Society and Democracy Foundation Baybars Örsek stated that since the reasons behind the rift between Armenian and Turkish societies are not very “reasonable,” when the people from the two countries have the chance to get to know the other side, they discover how similar Armenians and Turks are. “What inspired me to launch this project is the distance between the two societies, despite all the things they have in common,” said Örsek, speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, and added that they consider it more beneficial to build a “common future” rather that fight over the past, which is vulnerable to being manipulated without any gain.
When asked whether they have received any negative reactions or harsh criticism for the project, Örsek noted that people are generally suspicious about the source of funding and that the parents of the Turkish participants were concerned for their children.
The project was carried out with the help of the Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) based in Yerevan, which announced the project at Yerevan State University and invited students to apply to the program. Out of 36 students 10 of them were selected to attend the program by the coordinators. In İstanbul, attaching importance to having a diverse group, Örsek emphasized that they invite members of the youth branches of the all parties that have a seat in Parliament.
“I had been curious about how the Armenian people would perceive me if I visited their country. I thought they had unbreakable prejudices against us. However, after the workshops we had in the program, I noticed that all the perceptions we all have are based on the state’s ideology. I realized that states policies cannot be an obstacle in establishing individual relationships,” said Merve Tabur, a university student from Boğaziçi University and a participant in the program.
Commenting on some of the program’s sessions, Hasmik Girigoryan from the ACGRC said: “During our workshop we not only spoke about political issues, but first we started by telling each other our names, then our hobbies. These are things that seem small at first, but are very important and emphasize the role of trust in building better relations.” When asked what influenced him the most Girigoryan said, “When I arrived in Istanbul at 3:20 a.m. I saw our organizer personally waiting for us, and the next morning always counting us to make sure none of us got lost.” Girigoryan thinks the project is the first step to closing the rift in place for years and hopes for the continuation of such initiatives.
Taha Deveci, who attended all the workshops, thinks that multi-track diplomacy can be a catalyst for a process of normalization and would push the governments to prevent progress towards a “common future.” Agreeing with Deveci on these kinds of steps to influence the government’s stance to some extent, Grigoryan noted, “When Armenian and Turkish people change their opinion towards each other, build trust and have a good attitude, our governments won’t be able to act without our will.”
Ashot Avetisyan, another participant in the program, said he had some prejudices against Turkey and that before the program he saw Turkey as a “murderer.” But he adds, “Later on, during and after the workshop I realized that this generalization does not fit here.” And he thinks that the Armenian people should be more open to dialogue.
A student from Yerevan State University’s foreign languages department, Eva Alexanyan pointed out the importance of dialogue in breaking down the chauvinism found in both societies but highlighted how difficult it is to forget the “historical memory of the Armenian genocide” that, for Armenians, generates “bad images” of Turkey. She also noted that in addition to these kinds of initiatives there should be more will on the Turkish side to normalize relations.
National
