TURKEY – NO CULTURAL COOPERATION WITHOUT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
hetq.am/en/politics/7623/
2009/04/14 | 11:26
Region politics
Turkish Minister of Culture Ertugrul Gunay, in an interview with
Hurriyet Daily News, has stated that Turkey and Armenia should
cooperate to restore the ancient town of Ani, but added that any such
effort would require a resolution of the problems between Azerbaijan
and Armenia.
Mr. Gunay stated that the ministry’s plans for cooperation between
the two countries are not limited to restoration work. He said he
hoped to undertake many joint cultural projects with both Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
According to Gunay, cultural efforts to establish peace in the
Caucasus region cannot be maintained if they ignore Azerbaijan. "We
cannot treat the people of Azerbaijan as if they don’t exist while
trying to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia," he said. "We
should never forget that the province of Nagorno-Karabakh is still
under Armenian occupation."
The culture minister said the current restoration efforts in Ani
would soon turn their focus to the town’s cathedral and that Armenian
experts had recently attended a meeting on the project. The World
Monuments Fund would support the restoration of the cathedral, he said.
Mr. Gunay added that the ministry was also ready to contribute to the
Turkish-Armenian community in efforts to find the funds to restore
the 500-year-old Surp Giragos Church in the southeastern province
of Diyarbakir.
But the community fears any application for help would result in the
church being restored as a museum rather than a place of worship that
would serve the community, as happened with the Holy Cross Church on
the island of Aghtamar, Lake Van.