“With his activities, Hrant Dink managed to prove something very important,” editorializes “Aravot.” “You can be equally loyal to the Armenian nation and the Turkish state and there is no contradiction between those loyalties. Unfortunately, that state and its political elite and government in particular is resisting that progress by all means. There is an atmosphere of chauvinism and intolerance in the neighboring state. The Armenian journalist fell victim to it.”
“What happened in Istanbul was aimed at creating an atmosphere of terror in the country,” deputy parliament speaker Vahan Hovannisian tells “Hayots Ashkhar.” “It was also a warning to Armenians living in Turkey and the Armenian community as a whole to limit their efforts at genocide recognition. The Turkish state is seriously worried about those efforts, and Turkish extremists decided to deal that blow to rein in both domestic dissidents and Armenian lobby organizations.”
But according to “Zhamanak Yerevan,” Dink is a victim of both Armenian and Turkish nationalists. “The period after Dink’s assassination will expose the extent of mutual tolerance between Armenian and Turkish societies and their readiness not to escalate the already uncertain relations,” comments the paper. “The demonstrations staged in Ankara and Istanbul by thousands of Turks stressed the need for Dink’s principle of freed speech and free thought to take root in Turkey and in effect condemned nationalism. Protests are also being held in Yerevan these days, and nationalist statements … have already been made.”
“Azg” laments the fact that none of Armenia’s television stations suspended its entertainment programs in the days following the fatal shooting of the editor of the Turkish-Armenian “Agos” newspaper. “It is an unfortunate fact that the murder of the renowned Armenian journalist was not treated adequately,” says the paper. “That reaction was as sloppy and disorganized as our usual response to big and small emergency situations. The impression is that the crime interested the TV companies only as an event requiring swift coverage. If they felt the tragedy with their nerves they would certainly not behave like that.”
“Dink’s killing was a human tragedy,” writes “168 Zham.” “The murdered person was a real intellectual who tried to contribute to a transformation of Turkish and Armenian public attitudes and thereby bring us closer to the day when the two peoples will finally realize that neighbors have no future if they are filled with hatred towards each other. Even with his tragic death he did more to achieve this goal and international recognition of the Armenian genocide than we did.”
(Atom Markarian)
“What happened in Istanbul was aimed at creating an atmosphere of terror in the country,” deputy parliament speaker Vahan Hovannisian tells “Hayots Ashkhar.” “It was also a warning to Armenians living in Turkey and the Armenian community as a whole to limit their efforts at genocide recognition. The Turkish state is seriously worried about those efforts, and Turkish extremists decided to deal that blow to rein in both domestic dissidents and Armenian lobby organizations.”
But according to “Zhamanak Yerevan,” Dink is a victim of both Armenian and Turkish nationalists. “The period after Dink’s assassination will expose the extent of mutual tolerance between Armenian and Turkish societies and their readiness not to escalate the already uncertain relations,” comments the paper. “The demonstrations staged in Ankara and Istanbul by thousands of Turks stressed the need for Dink’s principle of freed speech and free thought to take root in Turkey and in effect condemned nationalism. Protests are also being held in Yerevan these days, and nationalist statements … have already been made.”
“Azg” laments the fact that none of Armenia’s television stations suspended its entertainment programs in the days following the fatal shooting of the editor of the Turkish-Armenian “Agos” newspaper. “It is an unfortunate fact that the murder of the renowned Armenian journalist was not treated adequately,” says the paper. “That reaction was as sloppy and disorganized as our usual response to big and small emergency situations. The impression is that the crime interested the TV companies only as an event requiring swift coverage. If they felt the tragedy with their nerves they would certainly not behave like that.”
“Dink’s killing was a human tragedy,” writes “168 Zham.” “The murdered person was a real intellectual who tried to contribute to a transformation of Turkish and Armenian public attitudes and thereby bring us closer to the day when the two peoples will finally realize that neighbors have no future if they are filled with hatred towards each other. Even with his tragic death he did more to achieve this goal and international recognition of the Armenian genocide than we did.”
(Atom Markarian)