Ruben Safrastyan: Armenian diplomacy should exert every effort to reveal the
recurrent Turkish deceit

24.03.2007 13:13
Marlena Hovsepyan
"Radiolur"

Of course, we welcome that Turkey has decided to reconstruct one of
the Armenian historical-cultural monuments situated within its today’s
borders, Director of the Oriental Studies Institute of RA National
academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan said in an interview with
`Radiolur’ correspondent. However, there are several circumstances,
which do not let us believe in the sincerity of the Turkish
authorities. `An evidence of this is the unwillingness to put a cross
on the church, therefore the fact that Holy Cross will not operate as
a church. These facts make us conclude that what Turkey is doing is
propaganda,’ he says.

The choice of time for this propaganda is also important. Let’s not
forget teat the Turks intended to reopen the reconstructed church on
April 24. It was a means to consign to oblivion the Armenian Genocide
and to show that they are making an attempt to reconcile with the
Armenian people. But this suggestion, according to Ruben Safrastyan,
included a great cynicism, and it’s not accidental that the Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul refused to participate in it.

It’s worth mentioning that this very fact made the Turkish authorities
reschedule the opening ceremony. One should bear in mind that the
resolution condemning the negation of the Armenian Genocide is on the
agenda of the US House of Representatives, and Turks are applying
every means to create the vision that the recognize the historic
truth. This is one of the attempts to hinder the process of the
Armenian Genocide recognition.

‘If Turks really intend to improve the Armenian-Turkish relations
through opening the church as they try to present it to the world,
they should first open the Armenian-Turkish border at least for two
days for the Armenian delegation to reach Van without obstacles,’ says
Ruben Safrastyan. According to him, it means that the Turkish
Government actually upholds the policy of pressure on Armenians,
keeping the border closed and refusing to establish diplomatic
relations.

Could official Yerevan mediate and demand to put the cross and
reconstruct the Holy Cross as church and not as a historical-cultural
monument? `It’s not the problem of only our country, but also all
Armenians,’ the Director of the Oriental Studies Institute says.

Nevertheless, the speaker does not think Armenia could exert real
pressure on the Turkish Government. But on the other hand, it would be
better to have a stiffer policy on forming a correct public
opinion. That means that all the lapses of the Turkish side had to be
displayed to the world.

The other day Eddie O’Hara Rapporteur on the Cultural Heritage in the
South Caucasus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) welcomed the reopening of the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross
on Akhtamar Island. The official expressed the hope that
representatives of the Armenian Government would have the opportunity
to attend the opening ceremony. `This also proves that Turkey has hit
its target,’ says Ruben Safrastyan.

In his words, our diplomacy should exert every effort to reveal the
recurrent Turkish deceit.