ROUND TABLE ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
On October 4-5 in Aghveran the round table “Two Years after Armenian-Turkish Protocols: Media Coverage and Public Perceptions in Armenia and Turkey” was held. The event was organized within the Internews Network and Yerevan Press Club project “Dialogue Building Between Armenia and Turkey”, supported by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of US Department of State. The round table was attended by experts, journalists from Armenia and Turkey, representatives of international organizations, diplomatic missions accredited in RA.
Opening remarks at the event were made by YPC President Boris Navasardian and Nouneh Sarkissian, Executive Director of Internews Media Support public organization.
Ozgun Ozcer, Foreign Desk Editor of the Turkish newspaper “Taraf”, touched upon the new turn in Turkish foreign policy and the public perceptions in Turkey. YPC Expert Mikayel Zolian presented the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations after the elections in Turkey and before elections in Armenia. The report of Richard Giragosyan, Director of Regional Studies Center, dealt with the Armenian attitude to the Turkish foreign policy in the context of the recent developments in Middle East/North Africa. The Armenian-Turkish relations and the Armenian community in Turkey were presented by Sevan Deirmenjian, observer of the Armenian language newspaper of Istanbul “Jamanak”. Aysun Akan, Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication of Izmir University of Economics, told about the Turkish media coverage of the recent developments in Armenian-Turkish relations.
THE NEW FORMAT OF “E-CLUB”
On October 4 the “E-Club” cycle was resumed on the online broadcast of “A1+” TV company (www.a1plus.am). The “E-Club” is produced by Yerevan Press Club in cooperation with “A1+” TV company under “Alternative Resources in Media” project, supported by USAID.
In the new season “E-Club” has changed its format: the programs are still aired weekly, on Tuesdays at 15.50 (rerun- on Fridays at 20.00), but in three blocs. The first bloc deals with news from and about the Internet; the second one – with a specific theme; the third one – with ratings of sites/ blogs, as well as the web headlines for the last week, presented by a guest expert.
On October 4 the second bloc of “E-Club” was titled “All about Computers”. The ratings of online resources and hot topics were presented by politologist Ervand Bozoyan.
The next “E-Club” will be aired on “A1+” on October 11.
“YERKRAGUND” ON THE EU EXPANSION
On October 4 the seventeenth show of “Yerkragund” (“Globe”) cycle went on the evening air of “Yerkir Media” TV company. The current show was produced by Yerevan Press Club under YPC and Internews Network project, “Dialogue Building Between Armenia and Turkey”, supported by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of US Department of State. The guests of the program host, YPC President Boris Navasardian, were Ruben Mehrabian, Expert at Armenian Center for Political and International Studies, Gayaneh Avetisian, international observer of “Yerkirn Aysor” news program of “Yerkir Media” TV company, Mikayel Hovhannisian, Coordinator of “Europe” programme of Eurasia Partnership Foundation, YPC Expert Mikayel Zolian. The discussion focused on the perspectives of EU expansion in the context of the peculiarities of the current foreign policy path of Turkey and the Eastern Partnership summit, held in Warsaw on September 29. The next “Yerkragund” show will be aired on “Yerkir Media” on Tuesday, October 11 at 19.15 (rerun – on Friday, October 14 at 13.20).
Watch “Yerkragund” of October 4, 2011 here
SUIT OF “A1+” FOUNDER VERSUS NCTR REVOKED
On October 3 RA Administrative Court revoked the suit of founder of “A1+” TV company, “Meltex” LLC, versus National Commission on Television and Radio. As it has been reported, on February 21, 2011 “Meltex” contested the results of digital broadcast licensing competition No.11. The founders of “A1+” and “ArmNews” TV companies were opponents in this competition (the latter became the winner). The plaintiff demanded to restore its violated rights and nullify the NCTR decision on competition No.11 (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, September 16-22, 2011).
The court justified the refusal of the “Meltex” suit by the fact that the competition was held in compliance with the legislation, therefore the rights of the plaintiff were not violated. The founder of “A1+” intends to appeal the ruling before the upper court jurisdiction.
