A group of 5 journalists and 1 travel agent from Turkey visited Armenia from October, 1st to 5th, 2016 in the 8th year of the Turkey-Armenia Journalists’ Dialogue Programme, organised by the Hrant Dink Foundation with the support of the MyMedia programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

In its 8th year, the programme, which aims at strengthening ties between journalists from Turkey and Armenia and contributing to establishment of direct and accurate means of exchanging news sources; journalists from Turkey who have been writing on the subjects of covering travel, gastronomy, and tourism had the chance to visit Armenia.  During the five-day programme, , participating journalists visited civil society organisations, met with gastronomy experts and restaurant chefs, academics and journalists, and learned on-site about the cultural heritage of Armenia and its tourism opportunities.

Journalists from Turkmax Gurme, Cumhuriyet Daily, Hürriyet Daily Kelebek Supplement, Vatan Daily, Slow Food Istanbul, Istanbul Art News, Food and Travel Magazine, and a travel agent from Oniva Tour paid their first visit to Yerevan, along with Tatev Monastry Complex, Sevan and Dilijan to discover the tourism potential of Armenia. 

The group started the programme at the Areni Wine Festival - organised annually as a grape harvesting event, and were informed about the grapes raised in Armenia. Thanks to the festival, the participants were also able to taste the wines made from those grapes. During their time in the Areni region, the journalists also had the chance to discover the archaeological richness of the region by visiting the neighbouring caves. 

The journalists met with Hayk Tutunjyan, the coordinator of the Tatev Revival Project implemented by the IDeA Foundation. Together, they reached to the historical Tatev Monastery on the ‘Wings of Tatev’, the aerial ropeway named as the longest bi-directional aerial ropeway in the world. The group also visited the 9th century historical monument Tatev Monastery Complex thanks to the company of Hayk Tutunjyan and their tour guide, thus seeing the tourism potential of Tatev with its unique nature and historical heritage.

At their dinner event, the journalists were hosted at the restaurant, The Club, and had the opportunity to talk about the Armenian cuisine with Chef Anahit Sargisian and, one of the managers, Boghos Yeghiayazariants. During the dinner, while tasting different examples of Armenian cuisine, the journalists could also learn from the chef about the ingredients used in the dishes they have tasted.

During their guided city tour in Yerevan, the journalists were informed about the historical fabric of the city, its cultural heritage and its current situation, while experiencing the touch of the city life thanks to their walking tour. At the end of the Yerevan city tour, the participants arrived at Cascade, and visited the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts, one of the most important culture and art venues in Yerevan.

During their visit to Ararat Brandy Company, the participants had the chance to taste and learn about the Armenian cognac that is very much associated with Armenia, its history as well as its importance in the Armenian culinary.

The participants also came together with Ashot Soghomonyan from Yerevan State University Faculty of Oriental Studies during dinner. They had the chance to listen the answers to their questions about Armenia from the perspective of an Armenian turcologist. Since Mr. Soghomonyan owns a tourism agency that organises  tours from Turkey to Armenia as well, the group could ask questions about the tourism opportunities in Armenia.

During the programme, the journalists also met with Ersin Tüfekçi, the manager of Aziz Surp Tour travel agency, which operates as the main service provider of the flight tickets between Istanbul and Yerevan, run by Atlas Global four days a week[TN1] . They had a conversation about the current tourist traffic and the tourism potential between the two neighbouring countries. 

The journalists were welcomed and hosted by the director Edgar Manukyan and the staff of the IDeA Foundation, which is a leading organisation that supports social entrepreneurship and development in different regions of Armenia with its long term investment projects. During this face-to-face meeting, the participants learned about the projects of the foundation and  its development vision for Armenia. 

In order to get an understanding of the civil society scene in Armenia, the group visited Yerevan Impact Hub, which works as an incubator for individuals and civil society organisations active in innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Thanks to the guidance of Ani Baboomian, they could find answers to their questions about Armenian civil society, and met the organisations working under the umbrella of Yerevan Impact Hub.  

The journalists also visited TUMO Creative Technologies Centre. Thanks to that visit, they learned that the centre provides elementary and high school students in Armenia with free after-school education on software, animation or design. The group had the chance to talk to the students and were introduced to the interactive education methods used at the center as well as the high-tech projects developed by students.

During their dinner meeting with the chef Sedrak Mamulyan and the representatives of NGO Preservation and Development of Armenian Culinary Arts at Megerian Carpet Restaurant, the journalists got first-hand information about the foundation, and talked about the traditions, rituals and eating culture in Armenia.

The group also visited UWC Dilijan College, one of the members of UWC World College network. During their meeting with the principal Denise Davidson, the participating journalists were informed about the international education activities at the college. At UWC Dilijan College, the journalists also met the students from Turkey, and talked about their experiences at the college. 

During their week in Armenia, the participating journalists also had the chance to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex.

Photographs: Anush Babajanyan

From Press

"İki yakın Halk İki Uzak Komşu", Gazete Vatan, 15.10.2015 
"En 'uzak' komşu Ermenistan", Cumhuriyet Gazetesi, 15.10.2016 
"En 'uzak' komşu Ermenistan: Yolsuzluk, yoksulluk, yasaklar...", T24, 16.10.2016 
"Ermeni Mutfağının Üç Hali", Hürriyet Kelebek, 23.10.2016
"Dağların Oğlu Ermenistan", Hürriyet Kelebek, 30.10.2016
"Barev (merhaba) Ermenistan", Hürriyet Kelebek, 30.12.2016 

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