Turkey's 'faith initiative' looks east

DIPLOMACY Friday, November 06 2009 10:33 GMT+2


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Turkey's 'faith initiative' looks east

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Vercihan Ziflioğlu

Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry says the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van and the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will be open for prayer once a year. Minister Günay says that a cross will be erected atop the roof of Surp Haç, 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 Haç Church for prayer once a year and affix a cross to its roof in its original place. Also, the Monastery of Sümela 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 Ertuğrul Günay, 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 Arpaçay 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 Gürcüyan about the offer. Gürcüyan expressed pleasure at the developments and said that the organization will contact the Culture Ministry and will happily work together to restore the site.

Günay: ‘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. Günay 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.”

Günay also told the Daily News he might visit Armenia. “As you remember, President Gül 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 Haç

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 Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Former Culture Minister Atilla Koç contacted Gagik Gürciyan 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 Günay 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.”

Günay 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. Günay 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 Sümela

Along with Surp Haç Church, the Monastery of Sümela 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 Nilgün Yılmazer, museum director of Trabzon. When reminded of this incident, Minister Günay 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 Mildanoğlu, who was assigned by the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate to the renovation of Surp Haç, evaluated the developments as a late decision. Mildanoğlu said former Minister Koç transferred the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with foreigners. Minister Koç 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.”