Gegham Manukyan: There has never been another case in Armenian history where Turkish journalists ridiculed Armenia at the expense of the country`s state budget

ArmInfo. In the history of independent Armenia, there has never been a similar case where Turkish journalists, at the expense of the state budget, visited the country, stayed in one of the most expensive hotels in Yerevan, and openly ridiculed it. This was stated by Gegham Manukyan, a member of the Armenian parliament from the opposition faction "Armenia".

The deputy highlighted intriguing information disclosed by the NGO "Center for Freedom of Information" regarding the visit of Turkish journalists funded by the country's state budget. Manukyan noted that according to the NGO's findings, the costly visit of Turkish journalists was planned for December 2024 to attend an international conference sponsored by the state through the analytical center "Orbeli".

He pointed out that, according to the same disclosed data, the visit of Turkish journalists never took place then, probably because the invitation did not mention conducting interviews with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. anukyan sadly observed that even during the "football diplomacy" days of 2009-2014, when Armenia garnered  greater attention, there was never any consideration in Yerevan to  invite Turkish journalists to the country at the expense of Armenian taxpayers.

Meanwhile, the oppositionist pointed out that in the 2000s, especially during the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, when resolutions recognizing it were being adopted in various parliaments around the world, there were plenty of such publications, but there was a significant difference. "At that time, articles were called the 'Armenian tsunami,' and it was discussed how Turkey could not resist Armenian pressure on international platforms. Now the talk is about the need to return Azerbaijanis to Yerevan," explained the deputy.

In this context, Manukyan emphasized that those who support this unprecedented event organized by the authorities of Armenia should understand that during those years, prominent representatives of Turkish media visited Armenia without any  budgetary funds and official invitations. Among these journalists were Mehmet Ali Birand, Sami Cohen, Yal?m Eralp, and Cem Dundar. The deputy pointed out that unlike their current colleagues, these journalists did not exhibit any unacceptable behavior towards Armenia.