TURKEY CONSIDERS PLACING CROSS ON AKHTAMAR CHURCH

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 29 2007

Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Bilman yesterday confirmed earlier
news reports that the Culture and Tourism Ministry has solicited the
views of the Foreign Ministry on the appropriateness of installing
a cross on the steeple of Akhtamar Church,

An Armenian delegation led by Deputy Acting Minister of Culture Gagik
Gyurjian, visited Akhtamar yesterday.

which will be reopened today as a museum in a ceremony with the
attendance of a delegation from Armenia as well as representatives
of the Armenian diaspora from around the world.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Bilman yesterday confirmed earlier
news reports that the Culture and Tourism Ministry has solicited the
views of the Foreign Ministry on the appropriateness of installing
a cross on the steeple of Akhtamar Church, which will be reopened
today as a museum in a ceremony with the attendance of a delegation
from Armenia as well as representatives of the Armenian diaspora from
around the world.

Earlier this month, Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual leader of the
Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey, sent a written request to the
Culture and Tourism Ministry asking that a cross, prepared by the
Armenian Patriarchate itself, be placed on the steeple of Akhtamar
Church. The sentiments in the letter from Patriarch Mesrob were echoed
in a similar letter sent by a group of Armenian intellectuals and
artists to the ministry.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry asked for the Foreign Ministry’s input
on the issue a few days ago, Bilman said in response to a question
at a weekly press briefing. Nevertheless, he noted that the request
was not particularly related to today’s ceremony. "Our ministry is
still studying the issue before offering our viewpoint.

As you know, the restoration of historical buildings is a long-term
process," Bilman said. "By its very nature, the issue will be evaluated
in detail and then the Culture and Tourism Ministry will be notified
of our opinion."

Akhtamar Church has undergone a restoration that was undertaken at
the behest of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan and Culture and
Tourism Minister Atilla Koc. While the Culture and Tourism Ministry
intends for the 1,100-year-old church on Lake Van’s Akhtamar Island
to be opened to the public as a "museum," the Armenian community is
pressing for the church to be available for religious services. On
the subject of the placement of the metal cross atop the church,
Patriarch Mesrob referenced past photographs of the historic church as
the reason why the ministry should allow the cross to be placed there.

Earlier this week, the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church,
Karekin II, refused to attend the reopening ceremony because the
church will operate as a museum, not as a church. Also yesterday,
both Mesrob and a delegation from Armenia — with whom Turkey has
no diplomatic relations — traveled to the eastern Anatolian city of
Van for today’s ceremony. The Armenian delegation was led by Deputy
Acting Minister of Culture Gagik Gyurjian. Meanwhile, Bilman also said
that representatives of the Armenian diaspora from Australia, France,
Germany, Lebanon, Slovakia and the United States would participate
in the ceremony.

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