Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2007

Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian

Tel. (613) 235-2622

ANCC Condemns Aghtamar Church Restoration as Public Relations Stunt

Ottawa- The official opening of the restored Church of Sourp Khatch (Holy
Cross) on the island of Aghtamar is another demonstration of the Turkish
Government’s dishonesty and crass political opportunism.

The restoration of the church (built in 921 A.D.) should have been an
opportunity for Turkey to express remorse for its 1915 crime of genocide
against its Armenian population, and to initiate a genuine reconciliation
with the Armenian people. Instead, the Turkish Government is involved in
window- dressing and public relations stunts to divert attention from the
international community’s increased pressure and rebuke for its denial of
the Armenian Genocide, the illegal blockade of Armenia, the suppression of
freedom of speech in Turkey, the increased intolerance towards its
minorities, and racist educational system.

To add insult to injury, the Turkish Government conveniently forgot to
mention, in its invitation, the church’s Armenian nature, and disregarded
the request of Turkey’s Armenian community spiritual leader (Patriarch
Mesrob Mutafyan) to add a cross on top of the church, and to make it a
worship place. Instead, the Turkish Government decided to convert the church
to a museum to grab tourist money. It is also changed the name of the church
to Turkish-sounding Akdamar.

It is ironic that at a time when the Turkish Government is engaged in a
massive campaign of public relation to improve its image, over 1,400
Armenian historical monuments and cultural sites (the church of Kayseri
turned to a sports center, the Naregavank to animal shelter, the Gaziantep
church to a restaurant, the church in Kemaliye to a carpet company, the
Armenian Catholic Church of Mush to a garbage dump) have been destroyed by
a deliberate policy to erase any record of 3,000 years of Armenian presence
in the region.

`We call on the Turkish Government to stop such blatant propaganda
campaigns, to seek serious and meaningful dialogue with the Armenians after
accepting its responsibility for the Genocide, and to lift the illegal
blockade of the Armenian Republic,’ stated Aris Babikian, Executive Director
of the Armenian National Committee of Canada.

` For Turkey to be part of the civilized world and a respected member of
the international community, Ankara should return the Church to its rightful
owners and follow in the footsteps of the post-war German governments which
have unambiguously recognized the Holocaust,’ added Babikian.

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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of
the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

Regional Chapters
Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St. Catharines
– Windsor – Vancouver