On November 5-8 in Gudauri (Georgia) a round table titled “Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey:
Looking for Reconciliation” was held. The event was organized by Friedrich Naumann
Foundation of Germany, Yerevan Press Club and “Yeni Nesil” Journalists Union
of Azerbaijan. The meeting was held under Armenian-Azerbaijani-Turkish journalistic
imitative that was launched in 2001 and supported by the Open Society Network
Media Program. In Gudauri the journalists and the political analysts of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey discussed a broad range of issues faced by the three countries.
The round table was opened by a summary presentation of the trilateral dialogue
by the President of Baku Press Club Arif Aliev.
The main directions for the developments in the South Caucasus were discussed
in the presentations made at the meeting. Azerbaijani political scientist Rasim
Musabekov spoke about the impact of the NATO summit in June this year on the
region. The Special Assistant to the State Minister of Georgia on Conflict Resolution,
the Consultant of Friedrich Naumann Foundation Ketevan Tsikhelashvili analyzed
the political processes in Georgia and their influence on South Caucasus in
general. The presentation of the Professor of Yerevan State University, Ambassador
David Hovhannisian touched upon regional economic projects in terms of their
contribution to or obstruction of the resolution of conflicts in South Caucasus.
The Correspondent of Turkish “Cumhuriyet” daily Leyla Tavsanoglu addressed the
issue of opening Armenian-Turkish border as an important factor for the normalization
of relations between the two countries. The Head of Armenian Analytical Center
on Globalization and Regional Cooperation Stepan Grigorian considered the possibilities
for resolving the Karabagh conflict in the context of EU and NATO activation
in South Caucasus. The presentation of Yerevan Press Club President Boris Navasardian
was focused in the role of media, civil society and independent experts in finding
solutions for the region.
