Burak Köşker from İstanbul was supported by the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant and visited Yerevan and Gyumri to contact civil society organisations and to develop training and exchange programmes.
“When I first told to the people I met on the streets of Armenia that I was a Turk, the first reaction was surprise. Nobody would expect a Turk to come to Armenia and engage in dialogue with them. Nevertheless, it is impossible to separate these two peoples, who used to live together and now are living apart divided by sealed border.”
“The concrete outcome of this visit is the idea of a youth camp. A youth camp that will engage young people of both countries and bring them together in a restoration work in an Armenian town nearby the Turkey border, damaged by the earthquake. During my visit I realised that such a camp would be even more beneficial for Armenian and Azeri youth. Because young people of these two countries are in greater need for dialogue.”