“Freedom of Information and Cooperation of Media at the South Caucasus” – November 18-21, 1999, Baku, Azerbaijan, Regional Seminar, organized by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Germany), Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Azerbaijan Foundation for the Development of Democracy at the assistance of YPC within the conference cycle “Economic Cooperation and Regional Security in the South Caucasus”. Participants (60 in number) represented the media, NGOs, political parties of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany. Main issues discussed: the role of media in conflict regulation and establishment of regional cooperation; possibilities for creating common information field in the region.
“Role of Political and Commercial Advertising in the Armenian Media” – October 15-17, 1999, Byurakan, Armenia, Seminar, organized by the YPC and supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Participants (40 in number) represented the media and major advertising agencies of Armenia. Main issues discussed: the imperfection of the legislative basis, also in the sphere of political advertising; advertising market and the possibilities of its use; new technologies and the international expertise in advertising; study of the effectiveness of advertising.
“South Caucasus Network for Civil Accord” – August 11-16, 1999, Tbilisi/Gudauri, Georgia, Consultative Meeting, organized by the YPC and supported by the Winston Foundation for Peace. Participants (10 in number) represented non-governmental, also journalistic organizations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the United Kingdom. A joint program was developed during the Meeting, aimed at the unification of efforts of non-governmental sector and media in South Caucasus for achieving peace and accord in the region.
“Professional Ethics and Responsibility of Journalists” – June 17-20, 1999, Batumi, Georgia, Regional Seminar, organized by the YPC jointly with International Confederation of Journalists’ Unions under “Media in Transition” Project co-financed by the European Initiative for Democracy and the Protection of Human Rights. Participants (more than 100 in number) represented the media, journalistic, non-governmental organizations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Mountainous Karabagh, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Russia, Byelorussia, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Baltic States, the United Kingdom, the USA. The extended geography of the participants in Batumi Seminar (from 17 countries, including 13 ex-Soviet republics) was an attempt to restore lost contacts, a step towards rapprochement of journalists of South Caucasus. Here YPC applied “3+3” formula for the first time: participation of journalists from the three non-recognized states of Mountainous Karabagh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia together with the media representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. The representatives of Baltic States, on their part, mentioned that the decade of isolation makes such meetings especially valuable and important, as it allows receiving first-hand information on situations in post-Soviet countries. The address of Aslan Abashidze, Chairman of the Supreme Council-Head of Ajarian Autonomous Republic was read out at the Seminar. Also, a meeting with Aslan Abashidze was held.
“Relationships of the Media and Political Parties During Election Campaigns” – May 8-9, 1999, Byurakan, Armenia, Seminar, organized by the YPC and supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Participants (40 in number) included journalists and representatives of political parties that took part in the Parliamentary Elections of 1999. Main issues discussed: legislative regulation and the unwritten “rules of the game”; specifics of the work of party-owned media during pre-election campaigns; correlation of the principles of freedom of speech and the equal possibilities enjoyed by candidates when using the tribune of media; the prospects for the development of self-regulating mechanisms in journalistic milieu.
“Coverage of Elections and Other Political Campaigns” – April 15-19, 1999, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, Regional Seminar, organized by the YPC and supported by the Council of Europe and European Journalism Center (Maastricht) under “Media in Transition” Project co-financed by the European Initiative for Democracy and the Protection of Human Rights. Participants (about 70 in number) included journalists and NGO representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia. The work was conducted at two workshops: a training course for young journalists on covering the pre-election campaigns (course leaders – experts from Netherlands David van der Houwen, Consultant of communication, journalism and media affairs, Gie Meeuwis, Journalism trainer of the Tilburg Academy of Journalism); presentations and discussions on the work of media in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia during political campaigns, prospects for cooperation of journalists of South Caucasus when covering campaigns.
“Freedom of the Press in the Process of Democratic Transformation” – March 26, 1999, Yerevan, Armenia, International Seminar, organized by the YPC jointly with Friedrich Naumann Foundation and Friedrich Ebert Foundation within the conference cycle “Economic Cooperation and Regional Security in the South Caucasus”. Participants (more than 30 in number) included representatives of media, NGOs, parties of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, as well as RA NA deputies. Main issues discussed: cooperation of journalists of South Caucasus; freedom of media within the transformation processes of the region. The foreign participants of the seminar met a number of Armenian politicians. On March 27 in Jermuk a meeting of Azerbaijani journalists with colleagues from Mountainous Karabagh was organized.
