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CYPRIOT FM CALLS ON ARAM I TO CONDEMN TURKEY'S ILLEGAL ACTIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
13, 2012 - 15:59 AMT
Cypriot FM calls on Aram I to condemn Turkey's illegal actions April
PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 11, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia
His Holiness Aram I received a letter from the Foreign Minister of the
Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, informing him that
"the illegal regime in the Turkish occupied area of Cyprus had placed
Bishop of Karpasia, Christoforos, on their 'stop' list, an act that
denies his fundamental human right of freedom of movement and the
right of the Greek Cypriot Citizens in the occupied enclave to live
in dignity and practice their Christian faith (Universal Declaration
on Human Rights, articles 13 and 18 respectively)."
In the letter, the Foreign Minister also states that this new decision
to prevent Greek Orthodox Christians to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on
Easter Sunday in the Karpasia is another example of Turkey's constant
breach of the fundamental human rights and the judgment passed by
the European Court of Human Rights (2001). In the end of the letter,
Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis requests from His Holiness Aram I to
condemn this act publicly.
In response to the Foreign Minister's letter, Catholicos Aram I wrote,
" As the spiritual head of the Armenian community in Cyprus, which also
has churches and a monastery under the illegal occupation, I am aware
of all the breaches of the provisions of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights that have taken place since 1974. This experience with the
illegal occupation of our church property by Turkey is the continuation
of the denial policy of Turkey's past and present authorities."
He then continued, "By not allowing Greek Orthodox believers in the
Karpesia region to celebrate religious ceremonies, despite the European
Court of Human Rights' judgment of the Fourth interstate Application
of Cyprus v. Turkey (May 10, 2001) and by limiting the number of
priests to spiritually accompany the Orthodox faithful in the enclave
under occupation (Report of the visit of UN Special Rapporteur on the
Freedom of Religion or Belief Mr. Heiner Bielfeldt, April 5 2012),
Turkey has once again demonstrated its double standard politics. On
the one hand, Turkish authorities present themselves as defenders
of human rights in the Arab World by their August 28, 2011 decision
to compensate non-Muslim minorities and return property lost since
1936 to Greek, Jewish and Armenian communities. On the other hand,
they deny publicly any responsibility for the Armenian Genocide and
its consequences, and they ignore all international declarations and
court decisions regarding the rights of Greek Cypriot citizens and
Greek Orthodox faithful under their illegal occupying regime."
In the end of his letter, His Holiness informed the Foreign Minister
that he had written to the General Secretaries of the World Council
of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches as well as to the
leaderships of the Armenian communities in the Middle East, Europe
and North America asking them to condemn the denial of Turkey of
the fundamental human rights of the Greek Cypriots under the illegal
regime of its occupied northern Cyprus.
From: Baghdasarian
PanARMENIAN.Net
13, 2012 - 15:59 AMT
Cypriot FM calls on Aram I to condemn Turkey's illegal actions April
PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 11, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia
His Holiness Aram I received a letter from the Foreign Minister of the
Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, informing him that
"the illegal regime in the Turkish occupied area of Cyprus had placed
Bishop of Karpasia, Christoforos, on their 'stop' list, an act that
denies his fundamental human right of freedom of movement and the
right of the Greek Cypriot Citizens in the occupied enclave to live
in dignity and practice their Christian faith (Universal Declaration
on Human Rights, articles 13 and 18 respectively)."
In the letter, the Foreign Minister also states that this new decision
to prevent Greek Orthodox Christians to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on
Easter Sunday in the Karpasia is another example of Turkey's constant
breach of the fundamental human rights and the judgment passed by
the European Court of Human Rights (2001). In the end of the letter,
Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis requests from His Holiness Aram I to
condemn this act publicly.
In response to the Foreign Minister's letter, Catholicos Aram I wrote,
" As the spiritual head of the Armenian community in Cyprus, which also
has churches and a monastery under the illegal occupation, I am aware
of all the breaches of the provisions of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights that have taken place since 1974. This experience with the
illegal occupation of our church property by Turkey is the continuation
of the denial policy of Turkey's past and present authorities."
He then continued, "By not allowing Greek Orthodox believers in the
Karpesia region to celebrate religious ceremonies, despite the European
Court of Human Rights' judgment of the Fourth interstate Application
of Cyprus v. Turkey (May 10, 2001) and by limiting the number of
priests to spiritually accompany the Orthodox faithful in the enclave
under occupation (Report of the visit of UN Special Rapporteur on the
Freedom of Religion or Belief Mr. Heiner Bielfeldt, April 5 2012),
Turkey has once again demonstrated its double standard politics. On
the one hand, Turkish authorities present themselves as defenders
of human rights in the Arab World by their August 28, 2011 decision
to compensate non-Muslim minorities and return property lost since
1936 to Greek, Jewish and Armenian communities. On the other hand,
they deny publicly any responsibility for the Armenian Genocide and
its consequences, and they ignore all international declarations and
court decisions regarding the rights of Greek Cypriot citizens and
Greek Orthodox faithful under their illegal occupying regime."
In the end of his letter, His Holiness informed the Foreign Minister
that he had written to the General Secretaries of the World Council
of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches as well as to the
leaderships of the Armenian communities in the Middle East, Europe
and North America asking them to condemn the denial of Turkey of
the fundamental human rights of the Greek Cypriots under the illegal
regime of its occupied northern Cyprus.
From: Baghdasarian