Arda Batu

Cultural Diplomacy as an Instrumental Tool in Conflict Resolution By Arda Batu (Vice Chairman, ARI Movement)

I’m not saying that Cultural Diplomacy in itself will be the sole solution for peace between these countries, let’s say between Turkey and Armenia, but when there’s a right moment in the higher politics, the civil diplomacy and the Cultural Diplomacy will be very elemental in forging the peace and understanding between these conflict-prone countries.

Cultural Diplomacy in itself may probably not suffice to resolve conflicts, but it can be a very instrumental tool. When you have contact between people and get to know each other, any perception that I may have had before meeting you may be very flawed. After a small engagement, I can see the true human being. To bring it to a very human level, Cultural Diplomacy programs function as such: bringing people together so they see that they’re not monsters, they’re just human beings.

Social media is becoming more important by the day. Anyone who’s been following the cases of Libya, Egypt, Iran- when you look at the social upheavals in those countries, you see the instrumental way that social media has been used in communicating the message and basically creating a movement for democracy, better standards of living, and rule of law.

- The Ankara Conference on Peace-building & Reconciliation; Ankara, Turkey, April 2012