{"id":7649,"date":"2016-10-19T23:27:28","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T19:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freecitizen.am\/?p=7649"},"modified":"2023-03-06T18:51:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T14:51:12","slug":"hovsep-khurshudyans-study-visit-to-istanbul-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freecitizen.am\/?p=7649","title":{"rendered":"Hovsep Khurshudyan’s study tour to Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 1<\/em>5<\/em>–<\/em>19<\/em>, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

As a grantee of the The Hrant Dink Foundation Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant,\u00a0with a view to increase direct contacts and to promote cooperation between the peoples of the\u00a0two neighbouring countries, \u201cFree Citizen\u201d CISC NGO President Hovsep Khurshudyan visited Istanbul in October 2016.<\/p>\n

He had a meetings in the 5 organisations, as well as had an opportunity to meet with a Garo Paylan MP of the Turkish Parliament!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trip, which was funded by Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant helped me significantly change my perceptions about Turkey and Turkish people, especially about intelligentsia and civic activists. I had an opportunity to speak with ordinary people at the streets and in the bazars. Now I am sure, that Turkey should become a one of the main priorities in Armenian foreign policy. I\u2019ve even managed to give an interview for the research in the Istanbul (Helsinki) Citizens Association. Also I\u2019ve raised my awareness on the situation on the Armenian community in Turkey\u201d, – told Mr. Khurshudyan.<\/p>\n

A lot of ties were established between \u201cFree Citizen\u201d CISC NGO and organisations based in Istanbul and as it appeared – there is a big place for future collaboration and working on the joint projects.<\/p>\n

Some preliminary agreements were set on further collaboration between Free Citizen Civic Initiatives\u2019 Support Center and Arax Publishing House Co. LTD, which is also headed by Hovsep Khurshudyan, from one side and Araz Publishing, Anadolu K\u00fclt\u00fcre, (Helsinki) Citizens Association and Agos newspaper from the other.<\/p>\n

Peoples cannot be enemies to each other. The only enemies we have \u2013 that is in us, in our brain \u2013 lie, ignorance, hubris, and rancor. We should start to communicate, to know better each other, to reduce the tension between our peoples, to discuss and resolve problems, existing between us as civilized people do.<\/p>\n

\u201cFree Citizen\u201d CISC NGO Press-Service<\/em><\/p>\n

See also: “Turkey, Russia and the Caucasus: Common and Diverging Interests”<\/strong><\/a> – Chatham House Briefing Paper.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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