TRANSFORMATION OF AKHTAMAR CHURCH INTO MUSEUM SHOWS TURKEYS REAL INTENTIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.03.2007 18:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The inauguration of the Holy Cross Church on
Akhtamar island as a "monument-museum" shows real intentions of the
Turkish government, "Hay Dat" Office head Giro Manoyan stated to the
PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. "They turned the church into a museum,
where it is forbidden to pray and deliver services.
Such an example in Turkey already exists – the Saint-Sophia Cathedral,
which has been turned into a museum. Being Ankara’s hostage the
Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul asked the authorities to give him one
day annually for praying in the church and this is an evidence for
desecration of the temple," Manoyan underlined. Thus, Giro Manoyan
thinks that official Ankara from the one hand tried to show that
he makes a positive step towards Armenian, and from the other hand
Armenians are forbidden to pray there.
"Archbishop Mutafyan during inauguration underlined that the church has
not functioned over 90 years but always has been and is a temple. We
shouldn’t view the reconstruction of the church positively. Turkey
officially invited Armenian in the inauguration ceremony purely for
propaganda purposes. It should have met the Armenian delegation on
the border and not to make them reach Van via Georgia. The stance
of Armenian Patriarch, as well as Catholicoses of Echmiadzin and
Great House of Kilikia made Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister
add that it was a church and not only a "historical monument". I
think following this propaganda move aimed at the world community
we must take actions in order to prove that it is forbidden to pray
there. Renovation of the Holy Cross Church as a "monument" must not
serve Turkey’s intentions for abolishing the fact that Armenians were
the native population of Western Armenia," Giro Manoyan stressed.