During forums held in Baku and in Ankara from June 20-27, 18 journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey (6 journalists from each country) discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,the establishment of Baku-Yerevan and Yerevan-Ankara diplomatic relations., and other regional problems. The five-day tripartite
forum was organized by the *Open Society Institute* of American philanthropist-billionaire George Soros. According to one of the participants at the forums, the correspondent of the Armenian newspaper *Azg* , Tatoul Hakobian, journalists representing the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict admitted that people on both sides are not ready yet to make compromises.
The Azerbaijani journalists told their Armenian colleagues that for them it is better to have another defeat in the battlefield with the honor, than to accept the humiliating conditions of peace, Hakobian said. But according to him, Armenian journalists were not given a chance to verify the argument of the Azerbaijani journalists directly with ordinary residents of Baku. *We were accompanied by the Azeri security officers and there was no way for us to talk to the people in the streets of Baku*, Tatoul Hakobian said.
However, according to the Armenian journalists, discussions held in Baku , Ankara and Yerevan had very constructive results despite the fact that all three sides have tried to not only listen and understand the arguments of the other, but also present and defend their positions. " We didn't clash and I think it was not realistic to expect more than that, said Aram Safarian, another Armenian
participant of the Armenian-Azeri-Turkish discussions. He is the correspondent of the independent *Prometevs* TV station. According to Armenian journalist the tripartite forum held in Baku, Yerevan and Ankara was a historical chance for Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Turks to discuss the thorny regional problems of the past and present times. The participants of the forum held in Ankara mainly focused on the issues related to the Armenian Genocide. According to Armenian
journalists, Turkish participants of the forum were trying to represent the mass killings of Armenians of 1915 as an unavoidable consequence of the ruthlessness of World War I. Armenians told their Turkish colleagues that the recognition of the mass killings of Armenians as a *Genocide* is a moral issue. The next tripartite meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish journalists will be
held in Yerevan, in September.
Anush Dashtents, Yerevan
forum was organized by the *Open Society Institute* of American philanthropist-billionaire George Soros. According to one of the participants at the forums, the correspondent of the Armenian newspaper *Azg* , Tatoul Hakobian, journalists representing the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict admitted that people on both sides are not ready yet to make compromises.
The Azerbaijani journalists told their Armenian colleagues that for them it is better to have another defeat in the battlefield with the honor, than to accept the humiliating conditions of peace, Hakobian said. But according to him, Armenian journalists were not given a chance to verify the argument of the Azerbaijani journalists directly with ordinary residents of Baku. *We were accompanied by the Azeri security officers and there was no way for us to talk to the people in the streets of Baku*, Tatoul Hakobian said.
However, according to the Armenian journalists, discussions held in Baku , Ankara and Yerevan had very constructive results despite the fact that all three sides have tried to not only listen and understand the arguments of the other, but also present and defend their positions. " We didn't clash and I think it was not realistic to expect more than that, said Aram Safarian, another Armenian
participant of the Armenian-Azeri-Turkish discussions. He is the correspondent of the independent *Prometevs* TV station. According to Armenian journalist the tripartite forum held in Baku, Yerevan and Ankara was a historical chance for Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Turks to discuss the thorny regional problems of the past and present times. The participants of the forum held in Ankara mainly focused on the issues related to the Armenian Genocide. According to Armenian
journalists, Turkish participants of the forum were trying to represent the mass killings of Armenians of 1915 as an unavoidable consequence of the ruthlessness of World War I. Armenians told their Turkish colleagues that the recognition of the mass killings of Armenians as a *Genocide* is a moral issue. The next tripartite meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish journalists will be
held in Yerevan, in September.
Anush Dashtents, Yerevan