539) Informative Meeting On ''New Approaches To Turkish-Armenian Relations'' Symposium in Istanbul Uni

Conference on Turkish-Armenian relations opens today at Istanbul University

A conference on Armenians which has been in the works for a year is opening today at Istanbul University. The "New Approaches to Turkish-Armenian Relations" conference will include 70 academics from Turkey and abroad, and is expected to witness sharp clashes between people of varying viewpoints.

The opening of the conference will be marked by a 45 minute concert given by the Kadikoy Surp Takavor Armenian Church Choir. Speaking about the aim of the conference, Istanbul University Professor Safak Ural, who also helped organize the conference, said "If we can't explain the problem in Turkish-Armenian relations to our own people, then we won't be able to explain it to anyone. And in order to explain it, we have to discuss every angle of the matter. This is possible only by gathering differing viewpoints on one platform, and approaching the discussion within the framework of certian objective criteria."

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/4083872.asp?gid=74
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ISTANBUL - Istanbul University Rector Prof. Mesut Parlak held an informative meeting about the symposium on ``New Approaches to Turkish-Armenian Relations`` which will be held at the university from March 15th to 17th.
Stating that this symposium would be the most comprehensive one with 70 participants from Turkey and some other countries, Parlak underlined that it would reveal the truths regarding Turkish-Armenian relations.

Parlak said that 1915 incidents had several dimensions --military, social and psychological--, stating that the matter would be discussed from a scientific point of view.

``I believe that the symposium will help a new period be started in Turkish-Armenian relations,`` he underlined.

Parlak noted that the university invited Armenian historians to the symposium, but they said that they would not attend.

3/13/2006
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=112203