Turks open homes to Armenian fans
Güncelleme Tarihi:
ISTANBUL - Servas, the civil society organisation that gathers people who care about peace and international dialogue globally, has 200 of its members in Turkey opening their houses to Armenian supporters coming to Turkey for the national football game between the two countries. The first match of historical importance in the World Cup 2010 was played Sep. 6, 2008, at the Hrazdan stadium in Yerevan, Armenia.
Mehmet Ateş, secretariat of peace for Servas, spoke to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review and told this project is the idea of Sercan Duygan, another member of the organization.
Ateş said in order to solve the problems Turks and Armenians should sit at each other’s tables and establish human contact. "When the awareness level of our world today is considered, it is clear that the attempts to put up walls between people insensibly are not helping anyone."
Although the project was welcomed and supported, the tension that can rise from time to time between the two nations sometimes reflects on the members of Servas, too. Elif Karadenizli, the "Day Host" of Servas, said sometimes arguments took place on the e-mail forum of the organization on the matters related to Armenia. "The reactions arise from prejudices entirely" Karadenizli said. "There are many factors that feed our prejudices; the imposed official history is only one of them. First of all, we should leave politics aside and try to leave our prejudices behind."
Özge Karadenizli, the coordinator of the project, said she agreed with Elif Karadenizli. "There is no border between the west and the east of Turkey but there is not enough contact either. The border between Turkey and Armenia may be opened but this would not be a sign of relations returning to normal. First, the borders between the peoples and their prejudices should be eliminated."
The members of Servas will not only host their Armenian guests at their homes but also organise cultural and social activities while providing a platform for dialogue. Ateş, Elif and Özge Karadenizli, addressed Armenians in the name of Servas: "We are ready to share our homes with you, the most private area of our lives. Come, let us strip ourselves of prejudices and get to know each other."
What is Servas
Servas is an International nongovernmental, multicultural peace association run by volunteers in over 100 countries. Founded in 1949 by Bob Luitweiler as a peace movement, Servas International is a non-profit organization working to build understanding, tolerance and world peace.
For more information and background on Bob Luitweiler’s vision, read his description in Seeds of Servas. They operate through a network of Servas hosts around the world who are interested in opening their doors to travelers, and of Servas travelers who want to get to know the heart of the countries they visit.
www.servasturkiye.org is the Web address at which the organization can be reached.