The talks aimed at the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan continue at various levels, a Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, ruling out recent reports suggesting the suspension of the agreed road map with Armenia.

“We are discussing all issues with Armenia, and what is important is principles we set,” Anatolian Agency quoted spokesperson Burak Ozugergin as telling a press conference in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Ozugergin said there was also an ongoing process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and both processes were affecting each other. Read more…

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The Education Ministry will begin distributing textbooks in other languages free of charge to minority schools this academic year. The decision was made after an Armenian-origin citizen, Varujan Turaç, sent a petition to the presidency requesting that minority schools in the country be provided textbooks in languages other than Turkish free of charge. Minorities in Turkey are defined under the terms of the Lausanne Treaty.

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The signal remains strong for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia as the Turkish state broadcaster’s head of radio reveals plans to begin TV broadcasts in the Armenian-language within a year. ’I sincerely am working for the common future of the two peoples,’ says a member of the broadcasting team.

Just months since it began radio broadcasts in Armenian, state-owned Turkish Radio and Broadcasting Corporation, or TRT, is now preparing to launch an Armenian television channel.   Read more…

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In recent years, Trabzon has made national and international headlines for all the wrong reasons. Two academics, one from the Black Sea port, conduct sociological research in the city and publish their findings in a book called ‘Trabzon’u Anlamak’ (Understanding Trabzon).

The Black Sea port city of Trabzon has made national and international headlines in recent years for its apparent lack of communal harmony, as stories of murders and assassinations abound, leading two academics to publish a book on the topic. Read more…

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WASHINGTON - Corporate America typically hires lobbyists to pressure Congress on taxes and trade rules. But in an unusual - some say risky - move, five military contractors and an energy company have stepped into a fight over whether the United States should label Turkey’s alleged slaughter of a million Armenians nearly a century ago as genocide.

The six companies have strong ties to Turkey, a key strategic ally of the United States in Mideast peace efforts and the fight against terrorism. None would state their position on the House of Representatives resolution, but industry analysts and others said they likely lobbied against the measure to show support for Turkey, an important market for weapons and industrial products. Read more…

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