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'CROSS CRISIS' BETWEEN TURKEY, ARMENIA ESCALATES
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-8216cross8217-crisis-between-turkey-and-armenia-escalates-2010-09-14
Sept 14 2010
Turkey
Tours are being canceled one after another due to the 'cross' crisis
between Turkey and Armenia. A cross has yet to be remounted atop the
Surp Hac Church in Turkey's eastern province of Van, but officials
say they have launched work to place a cross on the church's dome
The cross is brought to the Surp Hac Church on Akdamar Island. Reports
say the delay in placing the cross cause Armenians cancel their trips
to the church. DHA photo
Tour trips to the province of Van organized by the Armenian diaspora
and Armenia for this week are being canceled one after another due to
a delay in placing a cross atop the Surp Hac Church ahead of Sunday's
long-anticipated liturgy.
Work to place a cross on the dome, however, started early Tuesday,
officials said. Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said in
a statement to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review two weeks
ago that during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday the cross would be on
the dome. Gunay said the placing of the cross was delayed so the
ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, would not be the target
of criticism ahead of the Sept. 12 referendum on a constitutional
amendments package.
The crisis comes after disappointing governmental initiatives including
the Kurdish initiative, which has stalled after initially high hopes,
and the Turkish-Armenian dialogue that was launched with football
diplomacy in 2008, which came to a halt after the AKP found itself
in a difficult political position.
Lack of cross reason for cancellations
Earlier this year tour operators in Armenia started accepting
reservations for the service to be held in the church and the number
of reservations increased into the thousands in the spring.
Itineraries included bus tours starting Sept. 13 from Armenia to
Turkey via Georgia. Armenian tourists were to visit Armenian cultural
heritage sites in Turkey's eastern provinces during a weeklong tour.
The Armenian Apostolic Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin announced,
however, it would not send two members of the priesthood as
representatives to the Divine Liturgy as planned. Another key center
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Jerusalem Patriarchate, has
protested the event from the beginning.
"Turkey is being political about the cross. If it is to be mounted,
why did they wait so long? This is disrespect to us and our religion,"
said Narekavank Tour Manager Ashot Soghomonian from Yerevan in a
phone interview.
"Etchmiadzin is boycotting the mass, so how could we forget everything
and attend the ceremony?" said Ani Tour owner Volodya Anushian. "We
decided to cancel our reservations because we have self-respect. No
one has pressured us to cancel them. "Why have they waited for so long?
"This could've been a chance to resume Turkish-Armenian dialogue, but
we have lost it," Arushanyan said. "Not only Armenians in Armenia and
in the diaspora, but also Armenians in Istanbul should boycott this."
Over 50,000 tourists were expected from around the world, with some 500
coming via Narekavank and Ani tour operators. The price of Narekavank's
weeklong tour was $450-$500. Ani Tour offered a five-day package at
$395. Both operators are preparing to reimburse their customers.
The Surp Hac Church is one of the best examples of Armenian cultural
heritage in Anatolia. The church was restored by the Turkish state in
2007 and turned into a museum. Armenian experts restored the structure
in accordance with the original. Although construction work has been
completed, the cross has not been mounted yet.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-8216cross8217-crisis-between-turkey-and-armenia-escalates-2010-09-14
Sept 14 2010
Turkey
Tours are being canceled one after another due to the 'cross' crisis
between Turkey and Armenia. A cross has yet to be remounted atop the
Surp Hac Church in Turkey's eastern province of Van, but officials
say they have launched work to place a cross on the church's dome
The cross is brought to the Surp Hac Church on Akdamar Island. Reports
say the delay in placing the cross cause Armenians cancel their trips
to the church. DHA photo
Tour trips to the province of Van organized by the Armenian diaspora
and Armenia for this week are being canceled one after another due to
a delay in placing a cross atop the Surp Hac Church ahead of Sunday's
long-anticipated liturgy.
Work to place a cross on the dome, however, started early Tuesday,
officials said. Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said in
a statement to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review two weeks
ago that during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday the cross would be on
the dome. Gunay said the placing of the cross was delayed so the
ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, would not be the target
of criticism ahead of the Sept. 12 referendum on a constitutional
amendments package.
The crisis comes after disappointing governmental initiatives including
the Kurdish initiative, which has stalled after initially high hopes,
and the Turkish-Armenian dialogue that was launched with football
diplomacy in 2008, which came to a halt after the AKP found itself
in a difficult political position.
Lack of cross reason for cancellations
Earlier this year tour operators in Armenia started accepting
reservations for the service to be held in the church and the number
of reservations increased into the thousands in the spring.
Itineraries included bus tours starting Sept. 13 from Armenia to
Turkey via Georgia. Armenian tourists were to visit Armenian cultural
heritage sites in Turkey's eastern provinces during a weeklong tour.
The Armenian Apostolic Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin announced,
however, it would not send two members of the priesthood as
representatives to the Divine Liturgy as planned. Another key center
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Jerusalem Patriarchate, has
protested the event from the beginning.
"Turkey is being political about the cross. If it is to be mounted,
why did they wait so long? This is disrespect to us and our religion,"
said Narekavank Tour Manager Ashot Soghomonian from Yerevan in a
phone interview.
"Etchmiadzin is boycotting the mass, so how could we forget everything
and attend the ceremony?" said Ani Tour owner Volodya Anushian. "We
decided to cancel our reservations because we have self-respect. No
one has pressured us to cancel them. "Why have they waited for so long?
"This could've been a chance to resume Turkish-Armenian dialogue, but
we have lost it," Arushanyan said. "Not only Armenians in Armenia and
in the diaspora, but also Armenians in Istanbul should boycott this."
Over 50,000 tourists were expected from around the world, with some 500
coming via Narekavank and Ani tour operators. The price of Narekavank's
weeklong tour was $450-$500. Ani Tour offered a five-day package at
$395. Both operators are preparing to reimburse their customers.
The Surp Hac Church is one of the best examples of Armenian cultural
heritage in Anatolia. The church was restored by the Turkish state in
2007 and turned into a museum. Armenian experts restored the structure
in accordance with the original. Although construction work has been
completed, the cross has not been mounted yet.
From: A. Papazian