Foreign Policy & the Media: A Study Tour for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Journalists
A Two-Week Study Tour Leads to Better Understanding of the U.S. and of Each Other
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| Loukas Fourlas (left), a Greek Cypriot, and Rasih Reshad, a Turkish Cypriot, enjoy a break during their two-week study tour at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial during a sightseeing trip in Washington, D.C. |
From September 10 to 23 ICFJ hosted four Greek Cypriot and five Turkish Cypriot journalists. Participants were given an opportunity to examine and discuss U.S. policy toward the Middle East and Southeastern Europe, and to learn more about the United States and its news media.
In a series of seminars, interactive discussions and site visits, participants heard the opinions of experts in the subject matter of their study tour and were able to share their perspectives with scholars, government officials and journalists.
"It's my belief that the U.S. visit has totally changed the way I look at myself, the people around me and my way forward...And that's really such a rare thing in life.”
– Constandinos Tsindas, journalist,
Cyprus Broadcasting Corp.
This study tour was sponsored by America-Mideast Educational and Training Services (Amideast) as part of the Bicommunal Support Program (BSP). The Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus established the BSP in 2000, and Amideast administers the program. Its intention is to encourage cooperation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot professionals and community leaders through shared activities. The two-week study tour was an opportunity for the Cypriot participants to better understand their U.S. colleagues, and U.S. policy toward the Middle East and Southeastern Europe together.
The Cypriots spent a week in Washington, D.C., and a week in New York. They met with officials from the State Department, as well as scholars from research organizations such as the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They also took part in discussions with journalists from Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, NewsweekInternational, Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera International.