YEREVAN. – Armenia’s National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker, Hermine Naghdalyan, on Saturday met with a group of news reporters from around ten media agencies from Turkey. 

Naghdalyan underscored the significance of such initiatives, in terms of establishing contacts between the Armenian and the Turkish people.

Hrant Dink Foundation representative Burcu Becermen, who had arrived in Armenia as part of the delegation from Turkey, noted that the Foundation’s mutual visits are a great opportunity in terms of achieving progress in Armenian-Turkish relations, NA press service informs. 

During the question & answer period, a Turkish journalists expressed an astonishment that even though solely two days are left before the presidential election in Armenia, the streets are very calm. In response, the Armenian parliament vice chairwoman noted that this fact bespeaks the tremendous work that is done on Armenia’s road to democracy.  

Reflecting on the Armenian-Turkish protocols, the NA deputy speaker noted that not solely Armenia and the international community, but also the Turkish people themselves are awaiting Turkey’s next moves in this respect. She further informed that the protocols are still on the agenda of Armenia’s parliament. Naghdalyan stressed that Turkey is the only European country that still has closed borders with another country, but at the same time she expressed a hope that Turkey’s new generation would look at this matter under a different light.   

In his turn, Today’s Zaman reporter Mustafa Edip Yilmaz noted that he personally feels a great sorrow in connection with the events of 1915, and added that there is an awakening among the Turkish society today.

The Turkish journalists also asked about the present-day conditions for women in Armenia’s political arena. In this respect, Hermine Naghdalyan noted that perhaps her own example is the best response to this question, and added that women in Armenia possess a great potential to establish themselves both in politics and in the family.