Common Remembrance, Future Relations

The external project “Common Remembrance, Future Relations” addressed the practices of collective memory in Armenia, Germany, France, Israel and Turkey. The objective of the project was to develop approaches for reconciliation and international/intercultural cooperation possibilities, thus the participants of the project could create bilateral and/ or multilateral projects together.

The project was organized by Young Initiatives on Foreign Affairs and International Relations e.V. (IFAIR) and funded by the Federal Foreign Office. 

The project had three phases: 1) first meeting in Yerevan, Armenia for conceptual exchange between the participating NGOs and for finding partners and developing  common projects; 2) reciprocal guest visits for development of the projects; 3) Forum in Berlin in September 2017 in order to discuss the experiences.

The first exceedingly successful meeting took place in May 2017 in Yerevan. 20 participants from different NGOs had the chance to discuss their approaches to “cultures of remembrance, reprocessing the history and reconciliation”. Additionally, a platform for exchange among the participants was created and partners for a common project and possible cooperation came together. Especially, this meeting provided the opportunity to deconstruct barriers between cultures due to the conflict history of specific countries. The informal gatherings of participants and excursions such as to the Armenian Genocide Museum and memorial Tsitsernakaberd, gave important impulses. Sezer İdil Göğüş was involved in the project's organization as well as its contextual work. The focus of her work was on different perspectives from Turkey regarding the relationship between Armenia and Turkey and the role of civil society in the reconciliation process.

Project Director at IFAIR: Varsenik Minasyan.