FRENCH ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN RE-OPENING OF SURB
KHACH CHURCH
PARIS, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian community
of France will not participate in the re-opening ceremony of Surb
Khach Church on Aghtamar Island in Turkey. Alexi Govtsian told NT that
the community made a unanimous decision to reject the invitation to
participate in the re-opening ceremony because not the word "Aghtamar"
but "Aktamar" is indicated in the name of this church, while the word
"church" is absent. That is, it was decided that it will serve as a
museum. "For this reason we are going to send a letter to the Turkish
ambassdor in France, saying that if it is not reminded that this is an
Armenian church and the property of Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople and if the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople or
clergymen are not allowed to serve church ceremonies there, we will
not go," the chairman of the council on coordination of French
Armenian organizations said. He gave another reason for not
participating in the re-opening ceremony. "In this way Turkey is
conducting a special policy of counteracting the Armenian Genocide.
We know that many guests will come, including reporters, and Turks
will try to convince them that Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora are
wrong in their claims about the Genocide. We don’t want our community
to become a toy there," he underlined.