Turkish scholars welcome rapprochement appeal with Armenia

Wednesday, June 13, 2007
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

A group of Turkish scholars welcomed an appeal by 53 Nobel laureates calling for tolerance, contact and cooperation between Turks and Armenians, in a written statement released yesterday by the Institute for Armenian Research at the Ankara-based Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM).
“We view this call as a doorway to opening a process of dialogue between Turks and Armenians and as a stepping stone which will work to keep that door open, facilitating the culture of peace to bear fruit,” a group of 86 Turkish scholars, writers and retired ambassadors said in response to the appeal by New-York based The Elie Wiesel Foundation.

The appeal issued in April called on Turks and Armenians to encourage their governments to open the Turkish-Armenian border, generate confidence through civil society cooperation, improve official contacts, to allow basic freedoms and to address the gap in perceptions over the alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

“We would like to state that we are willing to do our part to make positive contributions to this end,” said the Turkish scholars.

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