Talking history: How some Turks and Armenians are seeking to overcome years of conflict

Turkish and Armenian communities around the world are seeking to come together despite decades of mistrust, reports Lemma Shehadi

Sunday 21 March 2021 15:05 GMT
Comments
<p>Relatives and friends of a killed soldier hold a vigil in a cemetery in Yerevan</p>

Relatives and friends of a killed soldier hold a vigil in a cemetery in Yerevan

Turkey’s involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict brought century-long tensions between Armenians and Turks to an all-time high. But just weeks after a ceasefire, some activists were working to bring both communities together.

“Turks and Armenians have a lot in common. We should meet to discuss and analyse our history without pre-judgement or patriotic visions,” Apo Torosyan, 78, a Turkish-born artist living in Lynn, a suburb of Boston, told The Independent.

In December last year, Torosyan took part in a discussion group which gathers Turks and Armenians in the diaspora in the US to share family stories about the Armenian genocide of 1915. It was the group’s first meeting after the fall out in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in