Viewpoint

Turkish media message: Azerbaijan hinders Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Gor Tsarukyan, Director of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Armenia, wrote on his social media page:

"Over the past 3-4 days, dozens of materials, articles, and programs have been aired on numerous Turkish TV channels and in the news feeds of online media outlets, presenting the official positions of the Republic of Armenia on a wide range of foreign policy issues. In a few days, there have never been so many reports and publications in the Turkish media about Armenia, mainly with a positive note, emphasizing the need to open the border.

The reports and analytical programs prepared by the representatives of influential Turkish media outlets participating in the media tour have been shown several times these days during the news programs of leading TRT World, NTV, Sözcü TV, and other television companies and have been distributed by Ihlas, Anadolu news agencies, T24, Medyascope, Hürriyet, Armenian Agos, and other news outlets. In addition, the participants of the media tour were hosted by other TV and radio programs, which told about their visit to Armenia. In total, about two dozen TV and radio reports were circulated, which almost wholly presented Armenia's views on the Armenia-Turkey settlement, the opening of the border, the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement, and the lifting of the blockade of infrastructure.

With the involvement of representatives of Turkish pro-government, opposition, and independent media outlets in the group invited to Yerevan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Special Representative Ruben Rubinyan's interviews were covered equally by all major media platforms. The main messages were delivered to the most diverse segments of the country's society. Moreover, the coverage was in Turkish and English (TRT World, Hürriyet Daily News).

In addition to the reports and analytical programs, more than five dozen text materials were published in Turkish online media, mainly presenting messages transmitted from Armenia.

It is noteworthy that several Turkish media outlets did not avoid circulating the key message that Azerbaijan is obstructing the Armenia-Turkey settlement process.

"The media tour reactions are still ongoing," he wrote.