Mutual Bias and Objectivity in the Media of Armenia and Turkey

The second meeting of the “Mutual Bias and Objectivity in the Media of Armenia and Turkey” project was organized in Yerevan between 17-21 December, 2009.

The project is carried out jointly by Global Political Trends Center (GPoT) and Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF).

Among the topics discussed during the sessions, which brought together experts and journalists from the Turkish and Armenian sides, were the approval process of the protocol, the impact of the Karabakh conflict on Turkish-Armenian relations, and how the normalization in the relations will affect the Caucasus as a region.

Ten journalists from Turkey that were taken to Armenia for the 4-day event met with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Secretary General of the Presidency Vigen Sarkisian, MP from the Republican Party, the largest coalition partner, Artak Zakarian and oppositional Heritage Party MP Stephan Safarian.

During the sessions on Armenian migrants in Turkey, the Karabakh problem and Turkish-Armenian relations, Armenian officials, journalists and experts emphasized that the Karabakh conflict and the Turkey-Armenia normalization are not parallel processes, and that the two are distinct areas of discussion.

The final report following the successfully completed “Mutual Bias and Objectivity in the Media of Armenia and Turkey” project will be available on GPoT’s and EPF’s websites in the near future.