Let's Pin Down the Headline at the Neighbour's! December 2016 - Armenia

A group of 11 journalists from Turkey visited Armenia from December, 10th to 15th, 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 of 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 and bloggers from Turkey covering travel, gastronomy, and tourism had the chance to visit Armenia. During the five-day programme, the participating journalists visited civil society organisations, met with academics, journalists, gastronomy experts and restaurant chefs, and learned on-site about the cultural heritage of Armenia and its tourism opportunities.

Journalists from İzmir Life Magazine, Dünya Newspaper, Habertürk TV, Pulbiber Magazine, Journo, Gastronomi Magazine, Agos Weekly, Yemek ve Kültür Magazine and Çiya Foundation, as well as freelance journalists and bloggers from Gurukafa, Kucukdunya, Kaanname, and Gidivermek paid a visit to Yerevan, along with Tsakhkadzor Ski Resort, Sevan and Dilijan to discover the tourism and culinary potential of Armenia.

On the first day of the programme, the journalists were introduced to Yerevan in a city tour by Hripsime Grigoryan. During this small tour, the guests had the chance to observe the cultural heritage, historical texture and current situation of the city by walking on the streets. Following the city walk, the group visited Wine Republic Restaurant, tasting different wines produced in Armenia and learning about the variety of grapes and the winemaking in Armenia. The group, later, visited Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, a museum and a research centre in Yerevan specialized on the ancient manuscripts in the city, and learned about the ancient texts in Armenian language.

The group visited the Armenian Cuisine Restaurant and talked to the chef. While experiencing a local version of dumpling, they had a deep conversation on the common and different dishes of the region and their importance in the culinary culture. After the dinner, the group went to Malkhas Jazz Club and briefly experienced the city’s music culture.

The journalists started their programme in their second day by visiting the Vernissage Bazaar, where they conversed with several craftsmen and women, including a master of wood engraving, Stephan from Malatya. Following that, the group arrived at the Cascade and visited Cafesjian Centre for the Arts. Walking inside the art centre with their guide, the group had the chance to observe the examples of modern art in Yerevan. Journalists also visited the Ararat Brandy Factory to experience the cognac that is identified with Armenia and learn about its history. The group was very interested in learning the important role of cognac in the Armenian culture.

On this day, the group had their dinner at Gayane Arevshatyan’s place, who turned her own home into a restaurant in Soviet times, and enjoyed a special piano concert by Mrs. Arevshatyan. During this dinner, the group also had the chance to meet Ashot Soghomonyan, a scholar at Yerevan State University, Department of Oriental Studies, and learned more about Yerevan from a Turcologist’s perspective. Soghomonyan, who also runs a tourism agency, answered questions about the tourism opportunities between Armenia and Turkey.

The third day began with a visit to Gumi Shuka, one of the markets for the local products in Armenia. Walking around the stands in the market, the journalists experienced the different varieties of cheese, meat and vegetables in Armenia. In the next step, the group was hosted at the IDeA Foundation, which aims to support social entrepreneurship and development with long term investments in different parts of the country, by the Foundation’s director, Edgar Manukyan. Following a general briefing on the structure of the Foundation, a presentation was given by Sargis Khandanyan about Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, and its award ceremony, one of the projects of the IDeA Foundation. 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 Sara Anjargolian, they could find answers to their questions about Armenian civil society, and had the chance to meet the organisations working under the umbrella of Yerevan Impact Hub.

That day, during the group lunch at Dolmama Restaurant, the journalists had the chance to try two important varieties in Armenian cuisine; dolma and sarma. Later, the group visited the Parajanov Museum, named after the famous film director and artist Sergei Parajanov, and learned about his life and art career. As a centre of education and research on agriculture, ICARE Foundation was the next in the programme. In addition to being informed about the Foundation’s activities, journalists had the chance to explore the laboratory and the research centre of Wine Academy, a centre professionalized on wine production under the Foundation. Attending a concert by pianist Boris Berezovsky under the baton of Eduard Topchjan at Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall, the group witnessed the historical texture of the Opera House and learn about the classical music culture in Armenia. For dinner, the group went to Restaurant Salon Armenia, a place that is renovated with classic Armenian architecture.

On the next day, the group travelled to Sevan Lake and visited Sevanavank Monastery Complex. This visit helped the visitors to see and understand different aspects of the history of religion and culture in Armenia. After that, the journalists made a journey to Dilijan to visit the UWC Dilijan College, one of the several colleges from all around the world within the network of United World Colleges. Here, the group met with a group of students from Turkey and learned about their experiences studying in Armenia. At dinner, the group was hosted at The Club Restaurant, where they met one of the co-managers Boghos Yeghiayazariants and Chef Anahit Sargisian. Also, during the same event, Ruslan Torosyan from Slow Food Armenia joined the group and became part of the conversation. Torosyan and the journalists discussed and exchanged ideas on the variety of cheese and cheese making in Armenia.

On the last, the group had a journey to one of the most ski resorts of Armenia, Tsakhkadzor. Hosted by Noubar Tatarian at Tsakhkadzor Marriott Hotel, the journalists learned about the tourism potential around Tsakhkadzor, followed by a tour of the ancient churches and the cultural sites in the city.

During the programme, some of the journalists also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan.

http://kaanname.com/erivan-turuna-cikalim-mi-hem-de-hizlandirilmisindan.html, Kaanname (Blog), 22.12.2016
http://gidivermek.com/caylak-gezginden-saskin-adimlar-2/, Gidivermek (Blog), 13.12.2016
http://pulbiberdergi.com/2016/12/24/erivan-turuna-cikalim-mi/, Pulbiber Magazine
http://www.dunya.com/ehlikeyf/agri-daginin-ote-yuzunde-haberi-343261, Dünya Daily, 27.12.2016
http://kucukdunya.com/kapali-sinir-kapilarinin-ardindaki-komsu-ulke-ermenistan/, Kucukdunya (Blog), 06.01.2017
http://kucukdunya.com/erivan-gezilecek-yerler/, Kucukdunya (Blog), 10.01.2017
http://kucukdunya.com/erivan-yemekleri/, Kucukdunya (Blog), 14.01.2017

Let's Pin Down the Headline at the Neighbour's! December 2016 - Armenia

RELATED CONTENTS

Turkey-Armenia Journalists' Dialogue Programme

Let's Pin Down the Headline at the Neighbour's! October 2016 - Armenia

Let's Pin Down the Headline at the Neighbour's! December 2018 - Armenia