VAN PREPARED AS RESTORED AKHTAMAR CHURCH TO RE-OPEN

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 28 2007

Akhtamar Church, restored in a project headed by the Turkish Ministry
of Culture and Tourism, will be officially re-opened to the public
as a museum at a ceremony tomorrow.

Akhtamar’s restoration was ordered by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan when it became evident that the church, first built between
915 and 921, would otherwise face collapse.

The church, which is located on Akhtamar Island on Lake Van, will
host domestic and international authorities and representatives
at its opening. In the meantime the Van police authority has taken
considerable precautions against any possible action or provocation
that might occur during the high-profile ceremony.

The Armenian church was built between 915 and 921 during the time of
the Vaspurakan dynasty on the orders of King Gagil I and is considered
an important example of Armenian architecture. The church’s restoration
was ordered by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan when it became
evident that the church would otherwise face collapse. The restoration
process began on March 24, 2006, and finished in November of last
year. The church will, according to the ministry, remain as an official
monument museum. Many see it as a cultural response of sorts to the
so-called Armenian genocide resolution being voted on in the US Senate.

Members of the Armenian religious community, representatives from
the Armenian diaspora and many foreign envoys number among the 277
people invited by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to attend the
re-opening of the church. So far 170 journalists have been accredited
to attend and cover the opening for various domestic and international
newspapers and media sources. As for preparations in Van itself,
serious security precautions have already been put into place for the
flow of visitors expected later this week. Gendarmes will be guarding
the road into the city from the Van Airport, while police forces will
take responsibility for security on Akhtamar Island itself.

Local organizations have voiced their support for the historical
message inherent in the re-opening of the Akhtamar Church, with Van
Industry and Trade Chamber head Zahir Kandasoglu commenting that the
city had to uphold its cultural and historical treasures rather than
deny them.

Speaking against possible acts of provocation that are a source of
worry for officials in connection with the church’s re-opening, Feridun
Irak of Van’s Trade Stock Exchange said, "There will be no advantage
in anyone’s creating tension. Our religion is one of tolerance. There
may be some factions who have no confidence in themselves that wish
to create paranoid provocations and protests, but the people of Van
will give no support to these factions. Our people believe in their
own religion and country, and in doing so understand that we need to
support and stand behind the treasures of all the cultures that we
share histories with."

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