Baku Sun, Azerbaijan
March 16 2007

Turkey renovates Armenian church

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkey may host Armenian officials at a
ceremony marking the renovation of the 1,000-year-old Akhtamar
church, one of the finest surviving monuments of Armenian culture,
Turkish media and sources close to the project said Wednesday.

Turkey has invited Armenian officials to attend the ceremony but it
was not clear whether any of them would show up, sources involved in
the renovation said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity
because authorities had not announced or confirmed the invitations.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said preparations for the ceremony were
continuing. It denied reports in the Turkish media that the
government would allow direct flights between the Armenian capital
Yerevan and the Turkish city of Van for the ceremony. Turkey and
Armenia have no diplomatic ties and border crossings remain closed,
but there are regular commercial flights between Yerevan and
Istanbul.

The ceremony will be held on March 29 on the tiny island of Akdamar,
situated on a lake in the eastern city of Van, bordering Iran.

Turkey, under pressure from the EU to improve its treatment of
minorities, began restoring the church in 2005.