HOLY CROSS CHURCH AS ALTERNATIVE TO OPEN TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER

News.am
19:56 / 08/17/2009

Silence is still reigning in Armenian-Turkish relations. The cause of
this silence was a joint statement made by the Armenian and Turkish
Foreign Ministers and adoption of a road map on the night of April
22. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu breaks this silence
now and again by saying the same words: Turkey wants to improve
its relations with Armenia, and peace must be established in the
region. Time shows they are mere words, and Turkey does not take any
practical steps. Moreover, Mr. Davutoglu is obviously hinting that
the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations is conditional on the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which, however, is not
stipulated by the agreement on the improvement of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

October is drawing near. That month, in Bursa, Turkey, the
Armenian national football team is to play a return match with the
Turkish team as part of the qualifying round of the world football
championship. Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who visited Yerevan at
the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to watch a
match between the two teams, invited the Armenian leader to Turkey
to watch the return match. However, Ankara, feeling Serzh Sargsyan
may not visit Turkey as a result of a frozen process of establishing
bilateral relations, has started drawing everybody’s attention to
this fact. The matter particularly concerns the Holy Cross Church on
Akhtamar Island, Lake Van. The church has no cross on and works as a
museum. The Turkish authorities seem to have "stored" this alternative
to make use of it as a playing card.

Everybody was surprised at a statement made by Turkish State Minister
Egemen Baðýþ, who visited the Holy Cross Church. He proposed erecting
a cross on the church and resuming religious services there before the
football match and the Armenian President’s visit to Turkey. After
returning from Akhtamar Island, Minister Baðýþ stated. "In Athens
I saw a mosque that was closed. I was upset very much, and I feel
upset now that I have seen the Akhtamar church in this state. What
a pity! What situation is it? To close an Armenian temple, ban
the Kurdish language – the Greeks are bad as well. We have lived
in a horror film for years. Communism is coming – close the border
with the Soviets. Fundamentalism is coming – close the border with
Iran. Terrorism – lay mines on the Syrian border. Armenians’ demands
– close the border with Armenia. Well, where are we going? This is a
way of isolating a nation from the entire world. In the very center
of Lake Van I saw how the nation is savagely!

destroying its history and heritage. I think I saw a Loch Van monster,
which has been searched for many years. Yes, we are this imaginary
monster as we have for many years been destroying our freedom, faith,
wealth, history – savagely destroying."

The purpose of that speech is clear: distracting the international
community’s attention from the frozen process of Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement. However, the situation was properly assessed in Armenia,
and an adequate response was given. At a press conference held jointly
with the Serbian President, who was on an official visit to Armenia,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated he would visit Turkey provided
that the Armenian-Turkish border was unblocked or relevant measures
were under way.

Soon after that, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, who was
touring through the country’s central regions, made a statement on
the valuable historical monuments in Turkey. He addressed the issue
of preserving the cultural heritage left by different civilizations
in the country. He stated: "There is no Muslim, Armenian, Greek
culture. They are all the wealth of Anatolia and our values. We must
take care of them, preserve them and show them to tourists. What was
left by the Seljuks, Ottomans and other civilizations that inhabited
this area belongs to us," the Minister said.

In mid August, Turkish State Minister Cevdet Yýlmaz visited the Holy
Cross Church. He pointed out that the church is of high importance
for Armenians and, after being renovated, it has become even more
beautiful and convenient for tourists’ visits. Responding to a question
concerning the possibility of religious services in the church,
Minister Yilmaz said that the problem has not been examined. He pointed
out the necessity for considering the conditions available and the
legal status. "Turkey is a secular state, and all the religions are
equally distant from the State. So we respect all the religions. In
this context, we have no problem," Yilmaz said.

As can be seen, Turkey is deliberately stirring up the interest in
Akhtamar Island and in the Holy Church Cross. Thus, the Turkish side
is trying to push the execution of its commitments assumed on April
22 to the background. It is great that the Turkish authorities have
admitted the fact that the Holy Cross Church must be crowned with a
cross and function as a church, but not a museum. But this all must not
be a subject of bargain and offered to Armenia as an alternative. By
doing so Turkey is shirking its commitments.