TURKEY AND THE ARMENIAN CULTURAL LEGACY
19:12, 20 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
On April 18, the day for protection of monuments, the Erebuni”
Historical & Archaeological Museum-Reserve in Yerevan will host an
exhibition on “The Urartian Heritage of Western Armenia,” Head of
IOMOS Armenia Office and Director of Erebuni Museum Gagik Gyurjyan
told reporters today.
“This is our legacy and we must be the masters of it at least by
organizing such exhibitions,” he said.
Speaking about Turkey’s state policy on the protection of
Armenian monuments, Gyurjyan said Ankara pays great attention to
historical-architectural sites on its territory, including Armenian
ones, out of considerations of development of tourism.
Turkey also pretends to be civilized and tolerant towards Armenian
legacy, he added. He noted that the most important Armenian site
of the territory of Turkey is undoubtedly the ancient city of Ani,
where serious research works are being conducted.
According to Gagik Gyurjyan, Turkey consistently destroys the Armenian
cultural trace dated before the 4thcentury. This refers to the Urartian
period, the Kingdom of Van, etc.