ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS VISIT TO ISTANBUL ACCOMPANIED BY SCANDAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.06.2006 13:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 20 Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II left
for Istanbul on a ministerial visit on the invitation of Armenian
Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian and Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew I. The Turkish Public TV ignored Catholicos’
visit. Turkish NTV, central newspapers: the Milliyet, Sabah responded
to the arrival – even the news was in the headlines.

According to reports, due to arrival of Garegin II special security
measures were taken at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, journalists’
entry to the airport territory was banned. Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian
met Catholicos and they left not passing through VIP, as provided
before. Next to the airport entrance a group of 50 people organized a
protest action. Lraber, official bulletin of Constantinople Patriarchy,
notes that those protesting threw eggs on cars of two Patriarchs, who
were meeting Garegin II. Catholicos of All Armenians was received in
the Patriarchy building, which is guarded around the clock by Turkish
security forces.

"We are worried and this refers not to Catholicos but nationalism
and chauvinist moods," Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian said. The same day,
Lraber reports, the Patriarch of Constantinople addressed a written
request to Istanbul governor take strong security measures.

Besides Armenian web-site, Lraber has also those in Turkish and
English. However, it is notable that aforementioned short reports on
Catholicos’ visit were published only on the Turkish page, while two
other versions said nothing of the visit of Garegin II.

Armenians of Istanbul know Turkish, however those of the Diaspora and
Armenia do not – they need information in English and Armenian. By
posting information on the Turkish-language page only Lraber has
deprived Armenians in the Diaspora and Armenia of opportunity to get
information on the visit of Garegin II so as to limit the response
to the visit of the Catholicos, reports the Azg newspaper.