TV channel in Armenian to open in Turkey - paper
Turkish state television TRT plans to broadcast an
Armenian language channel late this year, the local Yeni Asir
newspaper reported.
The broadcaster has received permission from the country`s Foreign Ministry, according to reports.
A radio station and a website in Armenian, which are due to begin operating in February, will operate in conjunction with the new TV channel. Songs by well-known Armenian singers, and performances by Armenian language bands in Turkey, will be broadcast.
Along with Armenians living in Turkey, the channel, which will air via satellite, will be available to viewers in Armenia.
TRT`s general manager, Ibrahim Sahin, has pledged that people from all segments of society would be represented in its broadcasts.
"We have to cover all the riches that this society possesses," he said, adding that there are currently between 60,000 and 70,000 ethnic Armenian citizens in Turkey.
Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and Armenian "genocide" claims. However, relations between the two countries have recently begun to improve. Following secret talks between Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July 2008 the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 as both countries discussed ways of normalizing relations between Ankara and Yerevan.
The broadcaster has received permission from the country`s Foreign Ministry, according to reports.
A radio station and a website in Armenian, which are due to begin operating in February, will operate in conjunction with the new TV channel. Songs by well-known Armenian singers, and performances by Armenian language bands in Turkey, will be broadcast.
Along with Armenians living in Turkey, the channel, which will air via satellite, will be available to viewers in Armenia.
TRT`s general manager, Ibrahim Sahin, has pledged that people from all segments of society would be represented in its broadcasts.
"We have to cover all the riches that this society possesses," he said, adding that there are currently between 60,000 and 70,000 ethnic Armenian citizens in Turkey.
Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence in response to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and Armenian "genocide" claims. However, relations between the two countries have recently begun to improve. Following secret talks between Turkish and Armenian diplomats in Bern in July 2008 the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan in September. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited Turkey on November 24 as both countries discussed ways of normalizing relations between Ankara and Yerevan.
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