TURKEY’S ‘FAITH INITIATIVE’ LOOKS EAST

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 5 2009
turkey

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry says the Surp Hac Church on
Akdamar Island in Lake Van and the Monastery of Sumela in Trabzon will
be open for prayer once a year. Minister Gunay says that a cross will
be erected atop the roof of Surp Hac, just as it had been originally

Mainly spearheaded by efforts to bring prayers back into churches,
Turkey’s cultural initiatives are set to accelerate in 2010, according
to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The ministry said it is preparing to open the recently renovated,
historical Surp Hac Church for prayer once a year and affix a cross
to its roof in its original place. Also, the Monastery of Sumela in
Trabzon will be opened for prayer once a year.

Armenia pleased by developments

The protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia for the normalization
of relations has started to bear fruit. Minister of Culture and Tourism
Ertugrul Gunay, who has reached out to his Armenian counterpart through
the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in the past, reiterated a
standing offer: "Let Armenian and Turkish experts restore the ruins
of Ani together."

The Ani excavation site, near the Armenian border in the Arpacay
District of Kars, was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Bagratunis
between 961 and 1045. The Daily News spoke to the International Council
on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Armenian President Gagik Gurcuyan
about the offer. Gurcuyan expressed pleasure at the developments and
said that the organization will contact the Culture Ministry and will
happily work together to restore the site.

Gunay: ‘I may visit Armenia’

The Ani ruins caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Armenia
years ago. Turkey filed a complaint to ICOMOS, an organization
affiliated with UNSECO, saying that explosions at Armenian stone
quarries are damaging the site. Gunay said the explosions have since
stopped, much to his relief. "Ani is a common legacy of humanity," he
said. "We must do all we can to pass it on to the future generations."

Gunay also told the Daily News he might visit Armenia. "As you
remember, President Gul has visited Armenia. If our President has
visited, there is no reason at all why I would not go, also," he said.

The dialogue began with Surp Hac

It is widely assumed that the dialogue process between Turkey and
Armenia started with the national football match last year. However,
the actual contact began with the restoration process of the Surp Hac
Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Former Culture Minister Atilla
Koc contacted Gagik Gurciyan and invited the Armenian expert to visit
Turkey. Although coordinated efforts were realized despite the two
countries’ closed borders, heavy criticism was levied in Armenia and
among the diaspora following the church’s opening as a museum.

As it was initially reopened as a museum, no cross was placed on the
roof of the church. A replica of the original cross, made according
to the traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was brought to
Istanbul by Armenian experts and delivered to Armenian Patriarch of
Turkey Mesrob Mutafyan. The cross is waiting at the Turkish Armenian
Patriarchate to be placed atop the restored church.

Legal problems

Minister Gunay spoke about the latest developments and delays.

"Unfortunately, there were some hitches with the laws that did not
allow historical churches to be opened for prayer," he said. "That
was the reason for the debates over the cross."

Gunay said the ministry is in the final stage of working out the
legal hitches and that similar problems will not be experienced in
Turkey in the future. Gunay said the cross would be placed atop the
church shortly and the building will be opened for prayer once a year,
if there is demand.

Prayer will also be allowed in Sumela

Along with Surp Hac Church, the Monastery of Sumela in Trabzon
will also be opened for prayer once a year. Last year, a group of
500 tourists from Greece, among them Thessaloniki Mayor Panayotis
Psomyadis and Russian Deputy Ivan Savidis, sought to light candles
at the monastery but were interrupted by Nilgun Yılmazer, museum
director of Trabzon. When reminded of this incident, Minister Gunay
said they would not allow such things to be experienced in Turkey
again and "all believers in these lands will follow their faiths’
requirements freely."

‘A late decision’

Architect Zakaria Mildanoglu, who was assigned by the Turkish Armenian
Patriarchate to the renovation of Surp Hac, evaluated the developments
as a late decision. Mildanoglu said former Minister Koc transferred
the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. "The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with foreigners. Minister Koc saw
the citizens of his own country as foreigners, but we have lived on
these lands for hundreds of years; we are not foreigners."

Sarkis Elbe, a prominent Armenian figure in Istanbul, said: "This is
a political decision. If only they had not waited for the signing of
the protocols just to make this decision."

Osman Köker, researcher and owner of Birzamanlar publishing, had
a different take on the developments. "Turkey is trying to play a
leading role in the region and to develop good relations with its
neighbors," he said. "Turkey also protects the rights of minorities
in the country."

Köker added that the process should be supported. "Opening religious
buildings of historical importance to visitors would boost the number
of tourists visiting our country."