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ANKARA: Turkey's 'Faith Initiative' Looks East

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  • ANKARA: Turkey's 'Faith Initiative' Looks East

    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."
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