NO ARMENIAN TO TAKE PART IN RE-OPENING OF AGHTAMAR CHURCH IF IT TAKES PLACE ON APRIL 24, MESROP MUTAFIAN STATES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 20 2006

ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Archbishop Mesrop
Mutafian, the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, responded the statement
made by Turkish Minister of Culture Atilla Goc on the previous day,
according to which "the reconstructed Aghtamar church must be opened
on April 24." The Patriarch mentioned that it is nothing else but to
speculate people’s pains for a political purpose, even, to mock. In his
words, opening of the recostructed church on that day will completely
liquidate the positive influence of the opening.

"The weak relations between the two countries will be done more damage
than they were done by the decision made by the French Parliament,
Turkey will be criticized on the international scene with the
accusation of impudence. Such an approach towards the Armenians’ pains
is as wrong, as the ones using the genocide as a source for profit
are wrong. I can say at the moment that no Armenian, including me,
will take part in the opening of the church," Patriarch Mutafian said,
adding that such an impudent attitude towards another’s suffering is
not admissible either from religious viewpoint or from the viewpoint
of conscience. Patriarch Mutafian also expressed perplexity on the
occasion of turning "Ani" place name into "An." "The issue that
Armenians are native inhabitants of Anatolia is a reality which may
not be renounced. Though names of some cities, regions, monuments
having a historic value can be changed in the way they change names
of cities and villages, but it is a blame against the heritage of the
world history, insult against the historic heritage. Such a change of
names means self-deception, and it puts our country and our scientists
into a funny situation. The Ani ruins are a historic heritage left
for our country, and I want to believe that Turkey, with outline of
state ripeness, would not want to be engaged in such a wrong policy
of changing the names," the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey said.