Yerevan hosts conference on Armenia-Turkey dialogue - Mediamax.am

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Yerevan hosts conference on Armenia-Turkey dialogue


Photo: European Union in Armenia

Dirk Lorenz
Dirk Lorenz

Photo: European Union in Armenia


Yerevan/Mediamax/. Today Yerevan State University hosted launching of the two-day international conference "Armenia-Turkey: Paving the Way for Dialogue and Reconciliation”, which aims at creating a platform for communication exchange and dialogue among researchers and students from Armenia and Turkey.

Head of Political, Press and Information section at the EU Delegation to Armenia Dirk Lorenz opened the conference, stating that people-to-people contacts between Armenia and Turkey play an important role in normalization of relations between the two countries.

 

Dirk Lorenz stressed in the interview to Mediamax that the Zurich protocols cannot be considered exhausted in conflict transformation and in building a sustainable peace.

 

“Turkey implemented constitutional reforms, while Armenia formed a new government. There might be some impetus in these circumstances in the future,” he said.

 

According to the EU representative, “there is no need to wait for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or disputes over the tragic events of 1915 to find ways for reconciliation on official level”.

 

Dr. Umit Ungor, Assistant Professor of Turkish descent in the Department of History of the University of Utrecht (the Netherlands), told Mediamax that “we should not place our hopes on politicians in normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey”.

 

According to him, there is a desire to develop dialogue and establish good relations in both countries.

 

“I believe we should put certain pressure on our governments in this issue,” said the Turkish historian.

 

The conference is held within the framework of the Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process 2 (ATNP2) programme, funded by the European Union.

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