!âJĞ="justify"> As an Istanbul-born Armenian, it was my first meeting with Armenia and its people. I arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, after an hour and a half long flight on a plane that departed from Istanbul.

  When we landed at Zivartnozs Airport, I was quite nervous. I had fears about being able to obtain a visa. But without any problem, I was given a visa for a three-month period.

  All those I interviewed in Yerevan's streets, public buildings, universities and nongovernmental organizations agreed on one thing: The biggest problem in Turkey-Armenia bilateral relations was not closed borders, but lack of healthy diplomatic relations. According to university students Turks and Armenians need dialogue. The “genocide” and the Nagorno-Karabagh issue, on the other hand, were still big taboos.

  Citizens of Armenia are quite reactive against being represented as a “poor people” because of the closed borders with Turkey. People I interviewed with said though Armenia faced severe economic problems in the first years after the closure of borders, the economy has gained great momentum in the last few years.

  According to official figures, more than 400,000 tourists from Europe and the United States – other than diaspora Armenians – visited Armenia last year.

  In the first few years following the 1991 declaration of independence, many Armenians migrated abroad to work. Turkey was one of those countries.

  During my past visits to Europe, I met with immigrants from Armenia. Also in Istanbul, I sometimes meet with people who have migrated from Armenia. They had all told me the reason they migrated was unemployment and poverty.

  In the streets of Yerevan, a different picture was painted for me. When I asked people about what they thought about migrants, they all told me that they were “exploiting emotions.”

  The rate of literacy in Armenia is around 90 percent. Young people constitute about 70 percent of the population. Shopping centers, home to various world brands, are quite crowded. Youngsters in the streets have trendy apparel and prefer to wear world known brands.

  Prejudice against journalists:

  From time to time, I spoke loudly in Turkish in public places in order to test reactions, but I received none. During the days I spent in Armenia, I witnessed no prejudice against Turkey or Turks.

  I also received surprising information that a Turcology Department was established in 1940 at Yerevan State University.

  Those who travel between Yerevan and Istanbul frequently are called the “lucky minority” in Yerevan. Upon returning, they tell glossy stories about Istanbul, thus making others want to see Istanbul as soon as possible, too. Lilit Agacanyan, who owns a shop in one of the big shopping centers, comes to Istanbul almost once every two weeks to buy ready-to-wear clothing. "Istanbul is a very special city. I miss it if I do not see it for a month," said Agacanyan.

  But almost all public authorities in Armenia have prejudices against Turkish journalists. I learnt that a thorough background check is made about journalists from Turkey when they visit the country. I, therefore, as an Armenian origins Turkish national, working at Do?an, Turkey's largest media group, was quite attractive for many. Perhaps because of that, I did not face much difficulty.

  When I asked officials why they were prejudiced against Turkish journalists, I received a striking reply. Diran Lokmagözyan, artist, NGO representative and Armenia representative of the Istanbul-based Turkish-Armenian bilingual weekly Agos, claimed many Turkish journalists visiting Armenia write articles “without stepping out of their hotels.”

  "There are even those who pretend to conduct interviews without really conducting any interviews," claimed Lokmagözyan. "Turkish journalists often ask for my assistance during their visits. I help them in getting official permissions from public authorities. During interviews, I generally translate. But when I read their stories, I see that they are manipulated," he claimed.

  I don't know about that. While I have been a journalist for more than a decade, I am not a political reporter and I do not pretend to be. I just went to Armenia to listen and to learn. And one thing I learned, is that while Turks and Armenians have many differences, there is much more that they have in common.