Armenian, Turkish actors beat handshake recordDecember 9, 2013 - 16:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Turkish and an Armenian actor completed the longest-ever handshake on Dec 8 in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in an act designed to foster peace between the two countries, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Deniz Barış from Turkey and Hovhannes Hajinyan from Armenia stood for 43 straight hours holding each other’s hands. The performance was aimed at underlining the possibility of better relations between Turkey and Armenia and took place thanks to the initiative of a group of Turkish and Armenian entrepreneurs and artists supported by the TANGO Network (Turkish and Armenian NGO Network), which unites Armenian and Turkish non-profit organizations. Barış and Hajinyan’s handshake beat the previous record by 25 minutes, which was set in New York in 2011. The whole event was broadcast live on the Internet, allowing everyone to witness Barış and Hajinyan holding hands despite rain, wind and cold weather, with the temperature falling to as low as minus 3 degrees Celsius during the night. Event organizers are currently working on a Guinness World Record Book entry at the moment. Hajinyan, an actor at the Yerevan Pantomime Theater, and Barış, from the southern province of Mersin, took the idea of participating in the event enthusiastically, HDN said. Photo: Hurriyet Daily News Related links: Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |