turkish-greek civic dialogue - AEGEE Europe

most remarkable projects in AEGEE history, however the actual indicator of
its success is presented by the way the efforts put in the Peace Academy was
sustained and further developed in the Turkish Greek Civic Dialogue.”
WE, AS AEGEE-ANKARA, AEGEE-ATHINA & AEGEE-ISTANBUL
PROPOSE PEACE AS A YEAR PLAN TOPIC
FOR AEGEE IN 1999.
SHARING THE BELIEF THAT
PEACE NEEDS TO BE AN IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR AEGEE,
WE CALL FOR THE COOPERATION AND PARTICIPATION OF
Dijan Albayrak,
Peace Academy
Project Manager
AEGEE-NETWORK TO THE PROJECT PEACE ACADEMY.
Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de L’Europe
TURKISH GREEK FRIENDSHIP:
A TREND OR A STATE OF MIND?
........................................................................... Matina Magkou, AEGEE-Athina
European Youth Forum, Pool of Trainers
It is often said that Greek-Turkish friendship is
something invented, something in vain and even
during the last several years many considered
it as a fashion, an imposed trend from both
circumstances and governments to serve politics.
It is also often said that young people are often
too ambitious wishing to change the world. The
world is already constructed and built upon certain
ideas, values, historical facts, feelings inherited
from generations to generations, prejudices, fixed
ideas and emotions. Maybe it is true that we cannot
change the world. But we can start by changing
ourselves.
This is what AEGEE has taught to me and I think to most of us involved in this
organisation. And this is what projects such as the Greek-Turkish Civic Dialogue
are proving to us and to the outside world. All young people involved in these
activities have gained at least something: they’ve gained the true dialogue and
the direct experience with the other culture, with the other nation’s pains and
emotions, with the history taught to the young people at the other side of the
sea.
Exchanging stories, sharing new moments, making new friends, realizing our
similarities and our differences is what is left at the end of the day, at the end
of such projects and this hopefully with bring the incentive to other young
people in AEGEE to work towards.
For many of my friends outside AEGEE, it is still a mystery that I have Turkish
friends or that I travel to Turkey from time to time. It was also strange that for
almost one year I shared the same room in the famous AEGEE house in Brussels
with my two fellow Comité Directeur members from Turkey, my dearest friends
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