MHP plans Friday prayer protest at eastern Turkey's Ani
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
A plan by Turkey’s most prominent nationalist party to hold Friday prayers at the ruins of Ani on the Turkish-Armenian border is a political ploy, according to an important Armenian religious official.
Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian, a primate of the Church’s Diocese of Gougark in northern Armenia and a candidate for the next Istanbul patriarch, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he would have respected the plan of Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli if he genuinely wanted to pray.
“But this is not the case at all,” he said. “He is just trying to make religion a tool for his politics.”
Bahçeli said the plan to hold Friday prayers at the Fethiye Mosque at the Ani ruins was being made in protest of the special Divine Liturgy at the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island on Sept. 19, the first Armenian rite performed on the island in 95 years.
The Fethiye Mosque was originally an ancient Armenian church and was converted to a mosque in 1064.
Chouldjian said the situation was proof that Turkey was still in a period of identity-seeking. “I hope one day Turkey can be courageous enough to admit where its roots lie.”
One of the architects working on the restoration of the Surp Harç Church, prominent Turkish Armenian Zakarya Mildanoğlu, agreed with Chouldjian and said nothing could change the fact that the Fethiye Mosque was a church.
“Even if they converted it to a mosque and now say the Friday prayer there, that is a historical church,” he said.
Aram Ateşyan, the deputy patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, declined to comment on the MHP’s preparations for the Daily News.
29 Eylül 2010 Çarşamba
25 Eylül 2010 Cumartesi
Akdamar rite spurs search for Armenian legacy in Turkey's East
Akdamar rite spurs search for Armenian legacy in Turkey's East
Friday, September 24, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenians gather outside the Akdamar Church, inaugurated in AD 921 on Lake Van's Akdamar Island, for the first mass held there since it was abandoned 95 years ago. AP photo
The historic religious ceremony held Sept. 19 at an Armenian church in eastern Turkey will have long-lasting effects, according to Armenians who anticipate more churches being restored and more people reclaiming their ethnic identities.
“Families from all corners of Turkey are coming to us in search of the roots of their families. Members of my own family have changed their identity cards to be listed as Christian,” Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, deputy patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Many people who had ‘Muslim’ written in their identity cards are confessing that they are hidden Armenians.”
Following the killings of Armenians in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, many of those remaining in the area changed their names and assumed identities as Kurdish Muslims. According to Ateşyan, the current process of democratization in Turkey is slowly eliminating the fears that led people to take such measures.
That process had perhaps its most dramatic manifestation to date in the rite at the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island near the eastern province of Van, the first such service to be held there in 95 years. Though that church has been the subject of intense media focus, it is only one of several Armenian monasteries and churches in the province, where a number of villages are still known by their Armenian names. Local residents say many of the buildings have been demolished, especially since the mid-1990s.
'There is big change,' says local journalist
As hotels in Van struggled to accommodate the thousands who attended the rite at Surp Haç Church observed on Sept. 19, some visitors stayed in the houses of the local residents.
The idea of accommodating visitors in local houses belonged to Aziz Aykaç, owner of the two daily local newspapers, one of which is Van Times, published in Turkish, English, Kurdish and Persian. He said more than a thousand families applied to host visitors in their homes. “Well, obviously we expelled them (Armenians), that is why they were welcomed warmly.”
“I am a Kurd. But all of my father’s neighbors used to be Armenian,” he told academic Baskın Oran, who wrote his impressions of their interview in daily Radikal. “Here there are many families that have Armenian members. They know, everyone knows, but no-one talks about it. They will only talk about it when the circumstances are right,” he said.
Aykaç believes people in the region have a kind of bruise on their subconscious. “We massacred, we expelled. Everyone should know the name of their village by its Armenian name,” he said.
Aykaç said there has been a huge change. “There is a transformation (happening at the moment). I don’t know how to describe it,” he said.
Aykaç said he has visited the governor of Van with two additional proposals to expand local consciousness of the Armenian cultural heritage of the area: to hold marriage and baptism ceremonies in the church. “He approached it with a positive view,” Aykaç said.
In the village of Nareg, 40 kilometers north of Van, only a few stones remain of the Naregevank Monastery complex, which a man who identified himself only as Mahmet said the village people were ordered to demolish in the 1990s. Homes have been built on the former site in Nareg, a village named for the 10th-century philosopher Krikor Naregatzi, considered the greatest poet of the Armenian nation. Mahmet, 95, who said he is of Kurdish origin, also claimed the governor’s building in the center of Van was built from the stones taken from the Naregevank Monastery.
Varakavank Monastery to be restored
The Varakavank Monastery in the village of Yukarı Bakraçlı, also known as “seven churches,” is little better off than its counterpart in Nareg. Only one floor is left of the once-impressive monastery, built in 1003 by the Armenian King Senekerim. All of the invaluable manuscripts once held in its library have been lost.
The Van Governor’s Office told the Daily News in August that the monastery will soon be restored, as will the Ktuts Monastery on Lake Van’s Çarpanak Island, part of efforts to turn Van into the culture and tourism center of Turkey’s East.
The owner and guardian of the now-defunct Varakavank Monastery is an Armenian who hides his ethnic identity. Kerim avoided revealing his family name and introduced himself as a Kurdish Muslim. Kerim said when his father died he left the monastery’s land to him and said he should protect the church at any cost, in the name of Christ.
“His wish surprised me. We were Muslim and I did not understand why he wanted me to protect the church in the name of Christ,” Kerim said, adding that he only learned upon insistent questioning of older relatives that the family was in fact Armenian.
Kerim said he worked as the village imam for all his life and lived as a pious Muslim. He keeps the monastery locked and maintains strict control over the visitors who are allowed to enter. He cleaned the interior on his own and laid all the stones in a corner, in numerical order, in hopes that it will one day be restored. Because he is influential in the village, no one interferes with his efforts, but Kerim said he has experienced a lot of difficulties in his life.
“It was not that easy to protect this place,” he said.
Fears and hopes of finds
The small steps toward reclaiming Van’s Armenian past have aroused some controversy and speculation. Mehmet Tuncel Ağa, the guide who accompanied the Daily News to the villages in the area, said the lands Armenians left in 1915 are now under the control of his Büriki clan, one of the biggest in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. The son of Fariz Ağa, the head of the clan, Tuncel Ağa said members of the Turkmen tribes who settled in the homes abandoned by the Armenians feared their houses would be reclaimed by Armenians who came to attend the Akdamar rite.
According to Tuncel Ağa, there was considerable uneasiness among them before the ceremony, and many people came to share their fears with the leaders of the tribe. “We said the fears are groundless and that the Armenians were just coming for the ceremony,” he said, adding that he made every effort to host the Armenians from Istanbul who came to Van for the event.
Tuncel Ağa also said Victor Bedoyan, an Armenian-American entrepreneur who tried to set up a business in Van in 2002, was treated unjustly. “He opened a hotel here with the name Vartan, but some did not want to see an Armenian managing a hotel. It was closed by the Culture Ministry. We did not object to it. We made a mistake. We did not foresee the current situation,” Tuncel Ağa said.
If the opportunity to open the hotel had not been taken from Bedoyan, then the region would see more tourists today, he added.
There is also a pervasive belief in some villages that the Armenians must have hidden their valuables before fleeing the region, sparking interest in recent excavations near cemeteries. Arşo Ağa, a villager who is a member of the Büriki clan, said he is working on the excavation in hopes of finding treasure.
Friday, September 24, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Armenians gather outside the Akdamar Church, inaugurated in AD 921 on Lake Van's Akdamar Island, for the first mass held there since it was abandoned 95 years ago. AP photo
The historic religious ceremony held Sept. 19 at an Armenian church in eastern Turkey will have long-lasting effects, according to Armenians who anticipate more churches being restored and more people reclaiming their ethnic identities.
“Families from all corners of Turkey are coming to us in search of the roots of their families. Members of my own family have changed their identity cards to be listed as Christian,” Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, deputy patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Many people who had ‘Muslim’ written in their identity cards are confessing that they are hidden Armenians.”
Following the killings of Armenians in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, many of those remaining in the area changed their names and assumed identities as Kurdish Muslims. According to Ateşyan, the current process of democratization in Turkey is slowly eliminating the fears that led people to take such measures.
That process had perhaps its most dramatic manifestation to date in the rite at the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island near the eastern province of Van, the first such service to be held there in 95 years. Though that church has been the subject of intense media focus, it is only one of several Armenian monasteries and churches in the province, where a number of villages are still known by their Armenian names. Local residents say many of the buildings have been demolished, especially since the mid-1990s.
'There is big change,' says local journalist
As hotels in Van struggled to accommodate the thousands who attended the rite at Surp Haç Church observed on Sept. 19, some visitors stayed in the houses of the local residents.
The idea of accommodating visitors in local houses belonged to Aziz Aykaç, owner of the two daily local newspapers, one of which is Van Times, published in Turkish, English, Kurdish and Persian. He said more than a thousand families applied to host visitors in their homes. “Well, obviously we expelled them (Armenians), that is why they were welcomed warmly.”
“I am a Kurd. But all of my father’s neighbors used to be Armenian,” he told academic Baskın Oran, who wrote his impressions of their interview in daily Radikal. “Here there are many families that have Armenian members. They know, everyone knows, but no-one talks about it. They will only talk about it when the circumstances are right,” he said.
Aykaç believes people in the region have a kind of bruise on their subconscious. “We massacred, we expelled. Everyone should know the name of their village by its Armenian name,” he said.
Aykaç said there has been a huge change. “There is a transformation (happening at the moment). I don’t know how to describe it,” he said.
Aykaç said he has visited the governor of Van with two additional proposals to expand local consciousness of the Armenian cultural heritage of the area: to hold marriage and baptism ceremonies in the church. “He approached it with a positive view,” Aykaç said.
In the village of Nareg, 40 kilometers north of Van, only a few stones remain of the Naregevank Monastery complex, which a man who identified himself only as Mahmet said the village people were ordered to demolish in the 1990s. Homes have been built on the former site in Nareg, a village named for the 10th-century philosopher Krikor Naregatzi, considered the greatest poet of the Armenian nation. Mahmet, 95, who said he is of Kurdish origin, also claimed the governor’s building in the center of Van was built from the stones taken from the Naregevank Monastery.
Varakavank Monastery to be restored
The Varakavank Monastery in the village of Yukarı Bakraçlı, also known as “seven churches,” is little better off than its counterpart in Nareg. Only one floor is left of the once-impressive monastery, built in 1003 by the Armenian King Senekerim. All of the invaluable manuscripts once held in its library have been lost.
The Van Governor’s Office told the Daily News in August that the monastery will soon be restored, as will the Ktuts Monastery on Lake Van’s Çarpanak Island, part of efforts to turn Van into the culture and tourism center of Turkey’s East.
The owner and guardian of the now-defunct Varakavank Monastery is an Armenian who hides his ethnic identity. Kerim avoided revealing his family name and introduced himself as a Kurdish Muslim. Kerim said when his father died he left the monastery’s land to him and said he should protect the church at any cost, in the name of Christ.
“His wish surprised me. We were Muslim and I did not understand why he wanted me to protect the church in the name of Christ,” Kerim said, adding that he only learned upon insistent questioning of older relatives that the family was in fact Armenian.
Kerim said he worked as the village imam for all his life and lived as a pious Muslim. He keeps the monastery locked and maintains strict control over the visitors who are allowed to enter. He cleaned the interior on his own and laid all the stones in a corner, in numerical order, in hopes that it will one day be restored. Because he is influential in the village, no one interferes with his efforts, but Kerim said he has experienced a lot of difficulties in his life.
“It was not that easy to protect this place,” he said.
Fears and hopes of finds
The small steps toward reclaiming Van’s Armenian past have aroused some controversy and speculation. Mehmet Tuncel Ağa, the guide who accompanied the Daily News to the villages in the area, said the lands Armenians left in 1915 are now under the control of his Büriki clan, one of the biggest in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. The son of Fariz Ağa, the head of the clan, Tuncel Ağa said members of the Turkmen tribes who settled in the homes abandoned by the Armenians feared their houses would be reclaimed by Armenians who came to attend the Akdamar rite.
According to Tuncel Ağa, there was considerable uneasiness among them before the ceremony, and many people came to share their fears with the leaders of the tribe. “We said the fears are groundless and that the Armenians were just coming for the ceremony,” he said, adding that he made every effort to host the Armenians from Istanbul who came to Van for the event.
Tuncel Ağa also said Victor Bedoyan, an Armenian-American entrepreneur who tried to set up a business in Van in 2002, was treated unjustly. “He opened a hotel here with the name Vartan, but some did not want to see an Armenian managing a hotel. It was closed by the Culture Ministry. We did not object to it. We made a mistake. We did not foresee the current situation,” Tuncel Ağa said.
If the opportunity to open the hotel had not been taken from Bedoyan, then the region would see more tourists today, he added.
There is also a pervasive belief in some villages that the Armenians must have hidden their valuables before fleeing the region, sparking interest in recent excavations near cemeteries. Arşo Ağa, a villager who is a member of the Büriki clan, said he is working on the excavation in hopes of finding treasure.
23 Eylül 2010 Perşembe
Investors from Armenia, Turkey plan joint hotel
Investors from Armenia, Turkey plan joint hotel
Thursday, September 23, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN – Hürriyet Daily News
Businessmen from Van and the Armenian capital Yerevan have decided to establish a five-star hotel on the shores of Lake Van in an initiative spearheaded by the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or VATSO.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, VATSO Chairman Zahir Kandaşoğlu requested support from Armenia and the local Armenian diaspora. “You support us and we shall prepare the climate in which the language of dialogue will flourish,” he said.
The organization has a department devoted to relations and trade with Armenia. “We meet together frequently both in Turkey and Armenia,” Kandaşoğlu said. “The eastern provinces of Turkey have serious economic problems and a main reason is the closed border with Armenia. Why shouldn’t we do our business freely? Why should we have to spend 48 hours [to reach Armenia] via Georgia, while the distance is only one-and-a-half hours?”
Trade is the remedy to all kinds of enmities between populations, he said.
Speaking of the historic service at the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island, Kandaşoğlu said the event itself hints at a great change in bilateral relations. “In the old days, even talking about the church triggered harsh reactions,” he said.
Regarding the tension which ensued after a cross had not been erected on the church before the historic rite, Kandaşoğlu voiced his regret. “We had given our word on this, but we were not successful.”
The businessman said support from the other side of the border was crucial in all the steps taken. “Seventy percent of the people of Van have visited the church since 2007 and they understand what we are trying to do,” Kandaşoğlu said, adding that businessmen from the city have been discussing ways of cooperating with Armenian businessmen.
Business figures from the eastern city could import minerals and rock from Armenia while exporting meat and investing in construction, he said. “There are lots of things to do.”
Thursday, September 23, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN – Hürriyet Daily News
Businessmen from Van and the Armenian capital Yerevan have decided to establish a five-star hotel on the shores of Lake Van in an initiative spearheaded by the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or VATSO.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, VATSO Chairman Zahir Kandaşoğlu requested support from Armenia and the local Armenian diaspora. “You support us and we shall prepare the climate in which the language of dialogue will flourish,” he said.
The organization has a department devoted to relations and trade with Armenia. “We meet together frequently both in Turkey and Armenia,” Kandaşoğlu said. “The eastern provinces of Turkey have serious economic problems and a main reason is the closed border with Armenia. Why shouldn’t we do our business freely? Why should we have to spend 48 hours [to reach Armenia] via Georgia, while the distance is only one-and-a-half hours?”
Trade is the remedy to all kinds of enmities between populations, he said.
Speaking of the historic service at the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island, Kandaşoğlu said the event itself hints at a great change in bilateral relations. “In the old days, even talking about the church triggered harsh reactions,” he said.
Regarding the tension which ensued after a cross had not been erected on the church before the historic rite, Kandaşoğlu voiced his regret. “We had given our word on this, but we were not successful.”
The businessman said support from the other side of the border was crucial in all the steps taken. “Seventy percent of the people of Van have visited the church since 2007 and they understand what we are trying to do,” Kandaşoğlu said, adding that businessmen from the city have been discussing ways of cooperating with Armenian businessmen.
Business figures from the eastern city could import minerals and rock from Armenia while exporting meat and investing in construction, he said. “There are lots of things to do.”
19 Eylül 2010 Pazar
Renovator criticizes politicization of SE Turkish church
Saturday, September 18, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation of the historical Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island, says parties from both Turkey and Armenia have overly politicized recent activity over the erection of a cross on the edifice. Still, the fact that the service is going ahead is a big breakthrough, he says
The cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey earlier this week and is now on the Akdamar Island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday's service.
Quarrels over the erection of a cross on the Surp Haç Church on Van’s Akdamar Island should not detract from Sunday’s special religious service to be held there, according to one of the house of worship’s renovators.
“I have constantly stated that the cross should not be used for politics. The cross would be placed on the dome after the renovation but it has been politicized by both sides so much that it ended up causing disputes,” architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation and followed the developments throughout the process, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Armenian priests from Istanbul and Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan will lead the service in the name of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey in the first service at the historical church in 95 years.
However, the service will not be attended by clerics from the Armenian Apostolic Central Church of Armenia nor the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate following a strain in relations which developed after church renovators in 2007 neglected to erect the cross.
With only days left before the historic service, which Turkey will only allow once a year, the issue of the cross on the church is still causing tensions. Following the Central Church’s declaration that it would not send clerics if there was no cross, tours transferring hundreds of Armenians to the eastern province of Van were cancelled.
But the cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey on Tuesday and is now on the island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday’s service.
Mildanoğlu said the Istanbul Patriarchate made some mistakes during the renovation, adding that legal Armenian Istanbul Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan did not want to attend the church when he heard it would open as a museum.
“The renovations were the first step, it was obvious even in those days that service in church would be allowed. He did not accept when I told him we should make preparations,” Mildanoğlu said.
“The [Istanbul] Patriarchate could have made an important mission, it could have provided steady information sharing with the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate. This type of mediation could have eliminated misunderstandings and tension,” he said.
If everything had been done calmly, with the Istanbul Patriarchate presenting its demands to the Turkish government formally, even Armenian President Serge Sarkisian could have been invited to the service.
“Such an invitation would benefit the dialogue between the two countries. Also, a representative from the Vatican could have been invited; Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and the Turkish President of Religious Affairs could have been invited. Such approaches would have minimized tension and disputes,” he said.
Mildanoğlu said Turkey took an important step by allowing the service to go ahead.
“We would have been in danger 20 years ago just by using the term ‘the Armenian Problem.’ However, we are discussing everything freely today. It was forbidden to even mention the existence of Armenians in Anatolia back then, but today Armenian historical artifacts are being renovated. We cannot ignore this,” he said.
A common opinion in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora is that Turkey is making political maneuvers, simply renovating churches under its control to aid its ascension bid to the European Union. Another prominent opinion is that Turkey is renovating the artifacts to transform them into tourist destinations.
Mildanoğlu said he did not think the latter suggestion was necessarily a problem, however.
“Thousands of historical churches are open for tourism in Armenia; they earn income from tourism, too. It is only natural – it is the same everywhere in the world. It is not right to politicize everything so much,” he said.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News
Architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation of the historical Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island, says parties from both Turkey and Armenia have overly politicized recent activity over the erection of a cross on the edifice. Still, the fact that the service is going ahead is a big breakthrough, he says
The cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey earlier this week and is now on the Akdamar Island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday's service.
Quarrels over the erection of a cross on the Surp Haç Church on Van’s Akdamar Island should not detract from Sunday’s special religious service to be held there, according to one of the house of worship’s renovators.
“I have constantly stated that the cross should not be used for politics. The cross would be placed on the dome after the renovation but it has been politicized by both sides so much that it ended up causing disputes,” architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation and followed the developments throughout the process, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Armenian priests from Istanbul and Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan will lead the service in the name of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey in the first service at the historical church in 95 years.
However, the service will not be attended by clerics from the Armenian Apostolic Central Church of Armenia nor the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate following a strain in relations which developed after church renovators in 2007 neglected to erect the cross.
With only days left before the historic service, which Turkey will only allow once a year, the issue of the cross on the church is still causing tensions. Following the Central Church’s declaration that it would not send clerics if there was no cross, tours transferring hundreds of Armenians to the eastern province of Van were cancelled.
But the cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey on Tuesday and is now on the island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday’s service.
Mildanoğlu said the Istanbul Patriarchate made some mistakes during the renovation, adding that legal Armenian Istanbul Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan did not want to attend the church when he heard it would open as a museum.
“The renovations were the first step, it was obvious even in those days that service in church would be allowed. He did not accept when I told him we should make preparations,” Mildanoğlu said.
“The [Istanbul] Patriarchate could have made an important mission, it could have provided steady information sharing with the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate. This type of mediation could have eliminated misunderstandings and tension,” he said.
If everything had been done calmly, with the Istanbul Patriarchate presenting its demands to the Turkish government formally, even Armenian President Serge Sarkisian could have been invited to the service.
“Such an invitation would benefit the dialogue between the two countries. Also, a representative from the Vatican could have been invited; Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and the Turkish President of Religious Affairs could have been invited. Such approaches would have minimized tension and disputes,” he said.
Mildanoğlu said Turkey took an important step by allowing the service to go ahead.
“We would have been in danger 20 years ago just by using the term ‘the Armenian Problem.’ However, we are discussing everything freely today. It was forbidden to even mention the existence of Armenians in Anatolia back then, but today Armenian historical artifacts are being renovated. We cannot ignore this,” he said.
A common opinion in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora is that Turkey is making political maneuvers, simply renovating churches under its control to aid its ascension bid to the European Union. Another prominent opinion is that Turkey is renovating the artifacts to transform them into tourist destinations.
Mildanoğlu said he did not think the latter suggestion was necessarily a problem, however.
“Thousands of historical churches are open for tourism in Armenia; they earn income from tourism, too. It is only natural – it is the same everywhere in the world. It is not right to politicize everything so much,” he said.
In the 49th Year as Turkey's English Daily
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TURKEY • NATIONAL Monday, September 20 2010 00:44 GMT+2
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First ceremony in Surp Haç after 95 years
Sunday, September 19, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN – HÜRRİYET DAILY NEWS
A meters-long sacred table made by Turkish Armenians from Istanbul bearing a depiction of the Virgin Mary was placed as the altar. The sacred table was to be removed from the church after the ceremony Sorrow marked the historic ceremony at Surp Haç Church in Van, as the cross that was set to be placed atop the dome of the church before the service had not yet been erected.
As the dome remained without a cross, the bell tower also remained without a bell. Bell chimes were broadcast through a sound system around Akdamar Island where the church stands.
Following a decision to not send spirituals to the service if the cross was not been erected, the Armenian Apostolic Central Church of Armenia wanted to erect a cross weighing 100 kilograms late Friday with the help of four experts from Armenia, leading local officials to intervene in the situation.
According to local officials the Central Church did not have the appropriate permission from the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry to erect the cross. While the Central Church considers the Turkish Patriarchate responsible for the erection of the cross, the exclusion of the Armenian experts from participating increased tensions.
The Turkish Armenian Patriarchate blessed the church Saturday evening according to the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the auspices of the Van Governor’s Office. The blessing ceremony was held quietly, with neither local nor foreign press informed.
A meters-long sacred table made by Turkish Armenians from Istanbul bearing a depiction of the Virgin Mary was placed as the altar. The sacred table was to be removed from the church after the ceremony and placed in the Van Museum, to be returned to the church for the next ceremony.
The first service to be held in the Church after 95 years started Sunday around 11:00 a.m. under the blessing of Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. Around 3,500 people came to the island for the service, according to official data. The atmosphere was quiet despite security measures.
At the opening of the church in 2007 after its restoration, a huge Turkish flag was hung on the front of the church. This time, however, the flag was nowhere to be seen.
At the 2007 opening, then Minister of Culture Atila Koç was present. However no high-level officials attended the 2010 historic service. The Deputy Gov. of Van, Atay Uslu, Mayor of Van’s Gevaş district Nazmi Sezer, and provincial head of Van Museums and Cultural assets Osman Fırat Süslü were present at Sunday’s ceremony and together they hosted the U.S. Consul to Adana Daria Darnell, Germany’s Ambassador to Ankara Eckart Cuntz, Netherlands ambassador to Ankara and diplomats from Sweden and France. Murat Akyüz, head of the German Armenians Chamber of Commerce, also attended the ceremony.
No crane for cross
The Istanbul choral group Feriköy Surp Vartananzs Armenian Acappella Chorus sang at the ceremony as visitors were transported to the island early Sunday morning. Both domestic and foreign media paid intense attention to the service with more than 200 reporters following the event.
As the church was not sufficiently large, only high-level participants were allowed inside while others watched the ceremony on screens outside.
“The cross was too heavy and we could not bring a crane here,” Sezer told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review before the ceremony.
“It is diffcult to bring the cross up without a scaffold. It was obvious that the work to place the cross on the dome would not be finished before the service,” he said.
Sezer said the base was not appropriate for the cross the Patriarchate brought as it was made to support the original cross.
Regarding questions as to why the issue of the cross had still not been solved since 2007, Sezer said Armenia needed to contribute more to dialogue with Turkey. “Armenia does not respond to Turkey’s positive steps,” Sezer said, adding that if Armenia had accepted Turkey’s conditions and took positive steps for dialogue, the cross would possibly already have been erected.
From Diaspora and Armenia
Despite the pressure of tours to Van for the ceremony being canceled, some groups came from Armenia, the U.S. and Beirut. Verjin Mermerciyan, who came from California, said it was an emotional day. Mermerciyan said no one in the local Armenian diaspora wanted to miss the historic occasion, but there were still perhaps more pressing concerns facing Turkey and Armenia and Armenian Turks in particular. “The reality of genocide cannot be rejected, but dialogue is what is needed now,” she said.
A group calling themselves “Muslim Armenians” also attended the event. “We could not live in our true identities for generations. Although my grandfathers turned to Islam to save their lives during the painful events of their times, they secretly kept their identities as Armenians,” said Hacı Mehmet Ali, a spokesperson of the group.
The ceremony was led by Domingo Fringo, who came from France specifically for the event. “Although permission to hold an annual ceremony has been given for the first time in 95 years, it is a great deficiency that the cross has not been erected,” he said.
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TURKEY • NATIONAL Monday, September 20 2010 00:44 GMT+2
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First ceremony in Surp Haç after 95 years
Sunday, September 19, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
VAN – HÜRRİYET DAILY NEWS
A meters-long sacred table made by Turkish Armenians from Istanbul bearing a depiction of the Virgin Mary was placed as the altar. The sacred table was to be removed from the church after the ceremony Sorrow marked the historic ceremony at Surp Haç Church in Van, as the cross that was set to be placed atop the dome of the church before the service had not yet been erected.
As the dome remained without a cross, the bell tower also remained without a bell. Bell chimes were broadcast through a sound system around Akdamar Island where the church stands.
Following a decision to not send spirituals to the service if the cross was not been erected, the Armenian Apostolic Central Church of Armenia wanted to erect a cross weighing 100 kilograms late Friday with the help of four experts from Armenia, leading local officials to intervene in the situation.
According to local officials the Central Church did not have the appropriate permission from the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry to erect the cross. While the Central Church considers the Turkish Patriarchate responsible for the erection of the cross, the exclusion of the Armenian experts from participating increased tensions.
The Turkish Armenian Patriarchate blessed the church Saturday evening according to the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the auspices of the Van Governor’s Office. The blessing ceremony was held quietly, with neither local nor foreign press informed.
A meters-long sacred table made by Turkish Armenians from Istanbul bearing a depiction of the Virgin Mary was placed as the altar. The sacred table was to be removed from the church after the ceremony and placed in the Van Museum, to be returned to the church for the next ceremony.
The first service to be held in the Church after 95 years started Sunday around 11:00 a.m. under the blessing of Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. Around 3,500 people came to the island for the service, according to official data. The atmosphere was quiet despite security measures.
At the opening of the church in 2007 after its restoration, a huge Turkish flag was hung on the front of the church. This time, however, the flag was nowhere to be seen.
At the 2007 opening, then Minister of Culture Atila Koç was present. However no high-level officials attended the 2010 historic service. The Deputy Gov. of Van, Atay Uslu, Mayor of Van’s Gevaş district Nazmi Sezer, and provincial head of Van Museums and Cultural assets Osman Fırat Süslü were present at Sunday’s ceremony and together they hosted the U.S. Consul to Adana Daria Darnell, Germany’s Ambassador to Ankara Eckart Cuntz, Netherlands ambassador to Ankara and diplomats from Sweden and France. Murat Akyüz, head of the German Armenians Chamber of Commerce, also attended the ceremony.
No crane for cross
The Istanbul choral group Feriköy Surp Vartananzs Armenian Acappella Chorus sang at the ceremony as visitors were transported to the island early Sunday morning. Both domestic and foreign media paid intense attention to the service with more than 200 reporters following the event.
As the church was not sufficiently large, only high-level participants were allowed inside while others watched the ceremony on screens outside.
“The cross was too heavy and we could not bring a crane here,” Sezer told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review before the ceremony.
“It is diffcult to bring the cross up without a scaffold. It was obvious that the work to place the cross on the dome would not be finished before the service,” he said.
Sezer said the base was not appropriate for the cross the Patriarchate brought as it was made to support the original cross.
Regarding questions as to why the issue of the cross had still not been solved since 2007, Sezer said Armenia needed to contribute more to dialogue with Turkey. “Armenia does not respond to Turkey’s positive steps,” Sezer said, adding that if Armenia had accepted Turkey’s conditions and took positive steps for dialogue, the cross would possibly already have been erected.
From Diaspora and Armenia
Despite the pressure of tours to Van for the ceremony being canceled, some groups came from Armenia, the U.S. and Beirut. Verjin Mermerciyan, who came from California, said it was an emotional day. Mermerciyan said no one in the local Armenian diaspora wanted to miss the historic occasion, but there were still perhaps more pressing concerns facing Turkey and Armenia and Armenian Turks in particular. “The reality of genocide cannot be rejected, but dialogue is what is needed now,” she said.
A group calling themselves “Muslim Armenians” also attended the event. “We could not live in our true identities for generations. Although my grandfathers turned to Islam to save their lives during the painful events of their times, they secretly kept their identities as Armenians,” said Hacı Mehmet Ali, a spokesperson of the group.
The ceremony was led by Domingo Fringo, who came from France specifically for the event. “Although permission to hold an annual ceremony has been given for the first time in 95 years, it is a great deficiency that the cross has not been erected,” he said.
17 Eylül 2010 Cuma
News: Armenian charity invests to help orphans, poor in Istanbul
Armenian charity invests to help orphans, poor in Istanbul
Thursday, September 16, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Karagözyan Orphanage Foundation, an Armenian community organization, is nearing the completion of a new skyscraper in Istanbul’s Şişli municipality that will house a shopping center, residences and a hotel.
“Just 10 years ago, we had to get permission from the General Directorate of Foundations even to drive a nail in [one of our community’s buildings],” Dikran Gülmezgil, head of the Orphanage told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, adding that the current government was warmer toward solving the problems of minority foundations than previous administrations were.
All the flats in the Şişli complex, which is being built on 0.6 hectares and will be completed by early 2011, will be rented. The revenue from the complex will be used to help poor families and orphans that live under the care of the foundation.
At the same time, the opening of the building will provide the first step toward pooling the revenues of all 43 Armenian foundations currently registered in Istanbul. “This building, in a sense, will be the future bank of the community,” Gülmezgil said.
The foundation presented the project to the government for approval five years ago and received clearance, Gülmezgül said.
“We told Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] that we are an orphanage that provides education for over 30 kids,” he said. “When we said we needed revenue, he gave the green light to our project.”
The skyscraper will rise besides the private Karagözyan Armenian School, which was founded in 1913 in accordance with the will of Dikran Karagözyan.
There were plans to initially use the building as a hospital, but it later became a shelter for children who were orphaned in Anatolia and brought to Istanbul.
The land the skyscraper is being built on was rented as a car park two decades ago.
Gülmezgil, who himself was a poor Anatolian Armenian child educated at the Karagözyan School, told the Daily News that the foundation had had difficulty collecting rents through the years.
“If we weren’t building this complex, we wouldn’t be able to educate our needy children,” he said.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Karagözyan Orphanage Foundation, an Armenian community organization, is nearing the completion of a new skyscraper in Istanbul’s Şişli municipality that will house a shopping center, residences and a hotel.
“Just 10 years ago, we had to get permission from the General Directorate of Foundations even to drive a nail in [one of our community’s buildings],” Dikran Gülmezgil, head of the Orphanage told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, adding that the current government was warmer toward solving the problems of minority foundations than previous administrations were.
All the flats in the Şişli complex, which is being built on 0.6 hectares and will be completed by early 2011, will be rented. The revenue from the complex will be used to help poor families and orphans that live under the care of the foundation.
At the same time, the opening of the building will provide the first step toward pooling the revenues of all 43 Armenian foundations currently registered in Istanbul. “This building, in a sense, will be the future bank of the community,” Gülmezgil said.
The foundation presented the project to the government for approval five years ago and received clearance, Gülmezgül said.
“We told Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] that we are an orphanage that provides education for over 30 kids,” he said. “When we said we needed revenue, he gave the green light to our project.”
The skyscraper will rise besides the private Karagözyan Armenian School, which was founded in 1913 in accordance with the will of Dikran Karagözyan.
There were plans to initially use the building as a hospital, but it later became a shelter for children who were orphaned in Anatolia and brought to Istanbul.
The land the skyscraper is being built on was rented as a car park two decades ago.
Gülmezgil, who himself was a poor Anatolian Armenian child educated at the Karagözyan School, told the Daily News that the foundation had had difficulty collecting rents through the years.
“If we weren’t building this complex, we wouldn’t be able to educate our needy children,” he said.
15 Eylül 2010 Çarşamba
NEWS: Artist turns family home in Turkey into icon
Artist turns family home in Turkey into icon
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish-born French artist Sarkis has shown more than 500 exhibitions of conceptual art works all around the world. In his new show, 'An Icon,' he exhibits an iconic representation of his family home in Çaylak Street, in the Istanbul district of Şişli, using solid gold. 'Wherever I live, I can’t stay away from Istanbul. I exist with the language of this city,' he says
World renowned artist Sarkis Zabunyan has said that regardless of where his work takes him, he finds it impossible to remain away from Istanbul and his home on Çaylak Street, Şişli, where he was born.
“Wherever I live, I can’t stay away from Istanbul; I exist with the language of Istanbul,” Sarkis said, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review in a recent interview. “Even though my mother and father died, I find them there when I open the door of the house on Çaylak Street,” he said.
It is not known if the house in Istanbul’s Şişli neighborhood, where he lived with his family, will be turned into a museum by the Culture Ministry but Sarkis always returns to the city where his roots are because he finds Istanbul uniquely inspiring.
Considered a leader in the contemporary art world and having shown more than 500 exhibitions all around the world during his 50-year career, Sarkis was not content with opening exhibitions one after another in Istanbul last year, so this season he has decided to hang another exhibition called “An Icon” at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center’s Kazım Taşkent Art Gallery in Taksim.
The exhibition, which is curated by Rene Block, in consultation with Melih Fereli, will run until Oct. 20 and will feature book signing events with Sarkis’ daughter Elvan Zabunyan, an art historian, putting her name to a book accompanying the exhibition called “From Him To Us – Ondan Bize,” published by Yapı Kredi Publications.
Calm brightness of solid gold
In this exhibition, Sarkis’ house on Çaylak Street is seen as a huge “icon” made of solid gold. The wood caps that lie around the solid gold like a carpet seem like motionless but give the impression that they will be closed suddenly and aired. “Yes the icon box remains in the middle for now but its covers imply that this icon does not belong here. As soon as the caps are closed, the icon will move because the exhibition is full of life,” Sarkis said.
He contrasts the currently hanging exhibition with last year’s “Site,” which he opened at the Istanbul Modern. “There were thousands of caps in that exhibition, there was a scream. It was a macro exhibition, but “An Icon” is a micro exhibition, it is calm and open to innovations. It will have new names as it becomes larger.”
The exhibition area is pretty dim, the brightness of the solid gold charms visitors while the strong wind effect created by ventilators on the ceiling and the gongs of an old wall clock take visitors to the endless spaces of time.
Sarkis said he created the artwork “An Icon” to highlight this sense of endless time.
While the mockup of Çaylak Street, made of solid gold, invites visitors to a tale-like world on the first floor, there is a very different atmosphere on the second floor. When you climb up stairs, you see neons and darkness that surrounds you. “Neons and darkness symbolize the dark years of World War II,” said Sarkis, adding, “During my career of 50 years, I have never organized a calm exhibition like this. I give an end to my last 25 years with this exhibition. But I find a new life with this icon on the other hand.”
Elvan’s view on her father
Seventy-two-year-old artist Sarkis spoke about the Çaylak Street during the interview. When asked if he wanted his house turned into a museum, he replied, “I kept the house in the same way it was when my mother was alive. I did not change the place of any object. Let Çaylak Street challenge time in its own way, I don’t want to interfere in it now.”
Speaking about the book that his daughter wrote about him, Sarkis said, “My daughter has never written anything about me so far. This is the first time. She wrote the book thanks to the insistence of the curator Block. Elvan had difficulties writing this book. She had a big conflict with her academic identity. Because it was her father she was writing about. I did not want her to be conflicted. When I saw that she was having difficulties, I asked her to stop but she continued and succeeded,” he said.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish-born French artist Sarkis has shown more than 500 exhibitions of conceptual art works all around the world. In his new show, 'An Icon,' he exhibits an iconic representation of his family home in Çaylak Street, in the Istanbul district of Şişli, using solid gold. 'Wherever I live, I can’t stay away from Istanbul. I exist with the language of this city,' he says
World renowned artist Sarkis Zabunyan has said that regardless of where his work takes him, he finds it impossible to remain away from Istanbul and his home on Çaylak Street, Şişli, where he was born.
“Wherever I live, I can’t stay away from Istanbul; I exist with the language of Istanbul,” Sarkis said, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review in a recent interview. “Even though my mother and father died, I find them there when I open the door of the house on Çaylak Street,” he said.
It is not known if the house in Istanbul’s Şişli neighborhood, where he lived with his family, will be turned into a museum by the Culture Ministry but Sarkis always returns to the city where his roots are because he finds Istanbul uniquely inspiring.
Considered a leader in the contemporary art world and having shown more than 500 exhibitions all around the world during his 50-year career, Sarkis was not content with opening exhibitions one after another in Istanbul last year, so this season he has decided to hang another exhibition called “An Icon” at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center’s Kazım Taşkent Art Gallery in Taksim.
The exhibition, which is curated by Rene Block, in consultation with Melih Fereli, will run until Oct. 20 and will feature book signing events with Sarkis’ daughter Elvan Zabunyan, an art historian, putting her name to a book accompanying the exhibition called “From Him To Us – Ondan Bize,” published by Yapı Kredi Publications.
Calm brightness of solid gold
In this exhibition, Sarkis’ house on Çaylak Street is seen as a huge “icon” made of solid gold. The wood caps that lie around the solid gold like a carpet seem like motionless but give the impression that they will be closed suddenly and aired. “Yes the icon box remains in the middle for now but its covers imply that this icon does not belong here. As soon as the caps are closed, the icon will move because the exhibition is full of life,” Sarkis said.
He contrasts the currently hanging exhibition with last year’s “Site,” which he opened at the Istanbul Modern. “There were thousands of caps in that exhibition, there was a scream. It was a macro exhibition, but “An Icon” is a micro exhibition, it is calm and open to innovations. It will have new names as it becomes larger.”
The exhibition area is pretty dim, the brightness of the solid gold charms visitors while the strong wind effect created by ventilators on the ceiling and the gongs of an old wall clock take visitors to the endless spaces of time.
Sarkis said he created the artwork “An Icon” to highlight this sense of endless time.
While the mockup of Çaylak Street, made of solid gold, invites visitors to a tale-like world on the first floor, there is a very different atmosphere on the second floor. When you climb up stairs, you see neons and darkness that surrounds you. “Neons and darkness symbolize the dark years of World War II,” said Sarkis, adding, “During my career of 50 years, I have never organized a calm exhibition like this. I give an end to my last 25 years with this exhibition. But I find a new life with this icon on the other hand.”
Elvan’s view on her father
Seventy-two-year-old artist Sarkis spoke about the Çaylak Street during the interview. When asked if he wanted his house turned into a museum, he replied, “I kept the house in the same way it was when my mother was alive. I did not change the place of any object. Let Çaylak Street challenge time in its own way, I don’t want to interfere in it now.”
Speaking about the book that his daughter wrote about him, Sarkis said, “My daughter has never written anything about me so far. This is the first time. She wrote the book thanks to the insistence of the curator Block. Elvan had difficulties writing this book. She had a big conflict with her academic identity. Because it was her father she was writing about. I did not want her to be conflicted. When I saw that she was having difficulties, I asked her to stop but she continued and succeeded,” he said.
Red tape greets Yerevan journalists at Turkish airport
Red tape greets Yerevan journalists at Turkish airport
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
'I've never had any problems with Turkish authorities before. The officials were always helpful,' says Yerevan Press Club Chairman Boris Navasartyan.
Customs officers allegedly impeded a group of Armenian journalists entering Turkey on Monday.
The crisis was reportedly overcome with efforts by Delal Dink, daughter of Hrant Dink, the assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, and Can Yirik from the Global Political Trends Center, or GPoT.
Yerevan Press Club Chairman Boris Navasartyan, who played a prominent part in establishing close relations between journalists and nongovernmental organizations from Turkey and Armenia, and 11 other Armenian journalists arrived in Istanbul from Yerevan on Monday.
Some of the journalists were to attend Hrant Dink Foundation meetings while the rest were to meet with Azerbaijani peers at a conference on "The role of the media in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict" organized by GPoT.
"They were asked how much money they had, whether they had a hotel reservation, when their flight back would be. I tried to explain all of us [were] together and all expenses for us were covered by foundations, but even this explanation didn't satisfy the officers," Navasartyan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. He said he was allowed to pass, but his colleagues were not, and when he objected he was threatened by the passport control officers.
"The officers threatened me and said that if I did not go to the checkpoint counter immediately I would be deported. The immigration service took our passports and left us waiting. One of the young ladies was separated from us and taken to another room," he said.
GPoT officials confirmed Navasartyan's account. Yirik said the crisis was resolved after two hours.
"I called airport security to check whether there was an unlawful deed involved on the part of our guests. They told me that two ladies were detained due to a lack of cash. I told them that they were my guests. It took us two hours to get them released,” he said.
The passport control office declined to answer the Daily News’ questions concerning the issue.
‘We are awaiting explanation’
"I’ve never had any problems with Turkish authorities before,” said Navasartyan. I’ve traveled here by plane, by bus and by car, the immigration service, the police and other officials were always polite and helpful. I have a feeling that the incident was this or that way connected to the current state of Turkish-Armenian relations. The failure of this stage of the rapprochement process is reflected in many things including the treatment toward Armenian citizens at the border."
Navasartyan said the Yerevan Press Club was doing its best to revive the frozen relations between the two nations. "We are waiting for an official explanation about the incident. If an explanation is not offered, then we will have to reassess whether to travel, organize and take part in
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
'I've never had any problems with Turkish authorities before. The officials were always helpful,' says Yerevan Press Club Chairman Boris Navasartyan.
Customs officers allegedly impeded a group of Armenian journalists entering Turkey on Monday.
The crisis was reportedly overcome with efforts by Delal Dink, daughter of Hrant Dink, the assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, and Can Yirik from the Global Political Trends Center, or GPoT.
Yerevan Press Club Chairman Boris Navasartyan, who played a prominent part in establishing close relations between journalists and nongovernmental organizations from Turkey and Armenia, and 11 other Armenian journalists arrived in Istanbul from Yerevan on Monday.
Some of the journalists were to attend Hrant Dink Foundation meetings while the rest were to meet with Azerbaijani peers at a conference on "The role of the media in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict" organized by GPoT.
"They were asked how much money they had, whether they had a hotel reservation, when their flight back would be. I tried to explain all of us [were] together and all expenses for us were covered by foundations, but even this explanation didn't satisfy the officers," Navasartyan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. He said he was allowed to pass, but his colleagues were not, and when he objected he was threatened by the passport control officers.
"The officers threatened me and said that if I did not go to the checkpoint counter immediately I would be deported. The immigration service took our passports and left us waiting. One of the young ladies was separated from us and taken to another room," he said.
GPoT officials confirmed Navasartyan's account. Yirik said the crisis was resolved after two hours.
"I called airport security to check whether there was an unlawful deed involved on the part of our guests. They told me that two ladies were detained due to a lack of cash. I told them that they were my guests. It took us two hours to get them released,” he said.
The passport control office declined to answer the Daily News’ questions concerning the issue.
‘We are awaiting explanation’
"I’ve never had any problems with Turkish authorities before,” said Navasartyan. I’ve traveled here by plane, by bus and by car, the immigration service, the police and other officials were always polite and helpful. I have a feeling that the incident was this or that way connected to the current state of Turkish-Armenian relations. The failure of this stage of the rapprochement process is reflected in many things including the treatment toward Armenian citizens at the border."
Navasartyan said the Yerevan Press Club was doing its best to revive the frozen relations between the two nations. "We are waiting for an official explanation about the incident. If an explanation is not offered, then we will have to reassess whether to travel, organize and take part in
‘Cross crisis' between Turkey, Armenia escalates
‘Cross crisis' between Turkey, Armenia escalates
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
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 Haç Church in Turkey’s eastern province of Van, but officials say they have launched work to place a cross on the church’s dome
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 Haç 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 Ertuğrul Günay 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. Günay 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 Haç 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.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
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 Haç Church in Turkey’s eastern province of Van, but officials say they have launched work to place a cross on the church’s dome
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 Haç 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 Ertuğrul Günay 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. Günay 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 Haç 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.
14 Eylül 2010 Salı
Seven women open door for Oral History Foundation in Turkey
Seven women open door for Oral History Foundation in Turkey
Monday, September 13, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Seven women from a multitude of disciplines have formed the Association for Research on Oral History, Culture and Art. The association will carry out work on oral history all around Turkey and provide support to foreign researchers working in the country. ‘Official history is so imposed in Turkey that chaos erupts when something different is told,” says one of the founders of the association Mehtap Filiz
Seven volunteer women from varying professions, art disciplines and ethnic origins have founded an association for researching the oral history in every corner of the country.
The goal of the Association for Research on Oral History, Culture and Art, founded in Istanbul in August, is to carry out oral history research all around Turkey in pursuit of highlighting the variety and depth of ethnicity across the country.
Association Chairwoman Türkan Akkulak Koç said Turkey had many untouched issues to research and that the association would not only work in Turkey, but also contact other associations and organizations carrying out work on oral history abroad. She said they would provide support for those who want to do research in Turkey.
Koç was born and grew up in the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ. Later she moved to Istanbul with her family and then migrated to Germany. “During my education in Germany, we were asked about our ethnic identity,” she said. “We want to remove all hurdles in the way of peaceful coexistence. This is why we aim to carry out our research all around the country.”
Koç said the first mission of the association would be women’s problems. “Not only in Turkey, but also even in the world’s most contemporary countries, women are second-class citizens. This is why we give priority to this issue.”
The team of seven women has attended many seminars at Bilgi University in order to start their oral history research and succeed in founding their association. “We had to do our best for our goal and our research,” said Koç, adding that oral history research has been accelerating in recent years and has great significance in terms of social development. She said Turkish society did not want to remember the past. “We keep all problems in our subconscious. But we need to talk to each other. We have to be brave to see all our pains as a whole,” she said.
Research on stone-throwing children
One of the founders of the association, sociologist Mehtap Filiz, highlighted the importance of oral history. “Official history is so imposed in Turkey that chaos appears when something different is told,” she said. Being hopeful about Turkey’s future, Filiz said, “Turkey has experienced volatile processes in its recent history. Democracy is newly built. Turkey is now in a process during which it will confront itself.”
Filiz also said they wanted to pursue projects about Kurdish problems, adding that although they hesitated to face these problems, they would start working.
“I want to research about Kurdish children who have thrown stones at police in the East and to draw a sociological picture. Before anything else, we need to find out why these children resort to violence and how they are affected by the political atmosphere,” Filiz said.
Monday, September 13, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Seven women from a multitude of disciplines have formed the Association for Research on Oral History, Culture and Art. The association will carry out work on oral history all around Turkey and provide support to foreign researchers working in the country. ‘Official history is so imposed in Turkey that chaos erupts when something different is told,” says one of the founders of the association Mehtap Filiz
Seven volunteer women from varying professions, art disciplines and ethnic origins have founded an association for researching the oral history in every corner of the country.
The goal of the Association for Research on Oral History, Culture and Art, founded in Istanbul in August, is to carry out oral history research all around Turkey in pursuit of highlighting the variety and depth of ethnicity across the country.
Association Chairwoman Türkan Akkulak Koç said Turkey had many untouched issues to research and that the association would not only work in Turkey, but also contact other associations and organizations carrying out work on oral history abroad. She said they would provide support for those who want to do research in Turkey.
Koç was born and grew up in the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ. Later she moved to Istanbul with her family and then migrated to Germany. “During my education in Germany, we were asked about our ethnic identity,” she said. “We want to remove all hurdles in the way of peaceful coexistence. This is why we aim to carry out our research all around the country.”
Koç said the first mission of the association would be women’s problems. “Not only in Turkey, but also even in the world’s most contemporary countries, women are second-class citizens. This is why we give priority to this issue.”
The team of seven women has attended many seminars at Bilgi University in order to start their oral history research and succeed in founding their association. “We had to do our best for our goal and our research,” said Koç, adding that oral history research has been accelerating in recent years and has great significance in terms of social development. She said Turkish society did not want to remember the past. “We keep all problems in our subconscious. But we need to talk to each other. We have to be brave to see all our pains as a whole,” she said.
Research on stone-throwing children
One of the founders of the association, sociologist Mehtap Filiz, highlighted the importance of oral history. “Official history is so imposed in Turkey that chaos appears when something different is told,” she said. Being hopeful about Turkey’s future, Filiz said, “Turkey has experienced volatile processes in its recent history. Democracy is newly built. Turkey is now in a process during which it will confront itself.”
Filiz also said they wanted to pursue projects about Kurdish problems, adding that although they hesitated to face these problems, they would start working.
“I want to research about Kurdish children who have thrown stones at police in the East and to draw a sociological picture. Before anything else, we need to find out why these children resort to violence and how they are affected by the political atmosphere,” Filiz said.
6 Eylül 2010 Pazartesi
NEWS: Turkey's Armenians suprised by Etchmiadzin Akdamar no-show
Turkey's Armenians suprised by Etchmiadzin Akdamar no-show
Monday, September 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul is surprised that the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church has rejected an invitation to attend a historic service on Van’s Akdamar Island on Sept. 19, Istanbul’s deputy patriarch said Monday.
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, changed its decision after learning that no cross had been affixed to the top of the Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Church in the eastern province ahead of the service.
“I still believe that they will participate,” said Istanbul Deputy Patriarch and Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, adding that he had not yet received any official information from Etchmiadzin.
“But if they retreat [from their earlier decision to attend], there is nothing I can do but respect their decision. In this service I would like to mark our church’s unity,” he said.
“We had decided to send two spiritual leaders to the service because we were told that the cross would be put over the top of the church’s dome for the ceremony. But Turkey did not honor its word and we learned that the cross would not be placed,” Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian, primate of the Church's Diocese of Gougark, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Monday.
“It is claimed that the cross will not be placed on the dome. However, a promise has been made to the Patriarchate. If it does not happen for the service, it would absolutely be placed just after it,” Ateşyan said, criticizing debates in Armenia and the diaspora over the lack of a cross.
Turkish Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay told the Daily News last Sunday that despite the possibility of delays due to work on the country’s constitutional referendum on Sept. 12, the cross would be placed on the dome.
Journalist Levon Barseghyan, the head of the Journalist Club Asbarez in Gyumri, Armenia, criticized the decision of the Etchmiadzin, saying he found the move extremely political.
“Unfortunately the Etchmiadzin deals more with political matters than fulfilling its spiritual duty. Etchmiadzin has long been a place for politics rather than being a religious center,” he said.
People have not given credit to calls in Armenia to boycott the service, said Barseghyan. “If I weren’t in another country for work, I would attend the service, no doubt.”
Political scientist and author Manvel Sargsyan also criticized Etchmiadzin for dealing with politics, criticizing the calls for people to avoid the service.
“They should leave people to their own will. Etchmiadzin should take care of its own business and remain away from politics,” he said.
The Surp Haç Church in the eastern province of Van has been a subject of debate in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora because it was opened as a museum and no cross was placed on its dome. Turkish and Armenian experts restored the church in 2007 at the initiative of Atilla Koç, the culture minister at that time. The church then opened as a museum.
Monday, September 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul is surprised that the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church has rejected an invitation to attend a historic service on Van’s Akdamar Island on Sept. 19, Istanbul’s deputy patriarch said Monday.
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, changed its decision after learning that no cross had been affixed to the top of the Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Church in the eastern province ahead of the service.
“I still believe that they will participate,” said Istanbul Deputy Patriarch and Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, adding that he had not yet received any official information from Etchmiadzin.
“But if they retreat [from their earlier decision to attend], there is nothing I can do but respect their decision. In this service I would like to mark our church’s unity,” he said.
“We had decided to send two spiritual leaders to the service because we were told that the cross would be put over the top of the church’s dome for the ceremony. But Turkey did not honor its word and we learned that the cross would not be placed,” Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian, primate of the Church's Diocese of Gougark, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Monday.
“It is claimed that the cross will not be placed on the dome. However, a promise has been made to the Patriarchate. If it does not happen for the service, it would absolutely be placed just after it,” Ateşyan said, criticizing debates in Armenia and the diaspora over the lack of a cross.
Turkish Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay told the Daily News last Sunday that despite the possibility of delays due to work on the country’s constitutional referendum on Sept. 12, the cross would be placed on the dome.
Journalist Levon Barseghyan, the head of the Journalist Club Asbarez in Gyumri, Armenia, criticized the decision of the Etchmiadzin, saying he found the move extremely political.
“Unfortunately the Etchmiadzin deals more with political matters than fulfilling its spiritual duty. Etchmiadzin has long been a place for politics rather than being a religious center,” he said.
People have not given credit to calls in Armenia to boycott the service, said Barseghyan. “If I weren’t in another country for work, I would attend the service, no doubt.”
Political scientist and author Manvel Sargsyan also criticized Etchmiadzin for dealing with politics, criticizing the calls for people to avoid the service.
“They should leave people to their own will. Etchmiadzin should take care of its own business and remain away from politics,” he said.
The Surp Haç Church in the eastern province of Van has been a subject of debate in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora because it was opened as a museum and no cross was placed on its dome. Turkish and Armenian experts restored the church in 2007 at the initiative of Atilla Koç, the culture minister at that time. The church then opened as a museum.
5 Eylül 2010 Pazar
Surp Haç service a chance for détente, Turkish minister says
Surp Haç service a chance for détente, Turkish minister says
Sunday, September 5, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
All Armenians planning to attend the Sept. 19 service at Van’s Surp Haç Church will be welcomed with open arms, Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay says. Although some Armenians are suspicious of Turkey’s intentions, the minister expresses Turkey’s goodwill toward all Armenians, adding that the service will bring Turks and Armenians closer together
The Surp Haç Church in Van.
The forthcoming mass at Surp Haç Church in Van represents the continuing effort to achieve reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, according to Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay.
“The Turkish-Armenian Patriarchate introduced the idea of holding mass in the church once a year and we accepted. This brings us one step closer [to rapprochement] and will be followed by others,” Günay recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“I grew up with Armenians, my best friend is Armenian. We never knew enmity. Hrant [Dink] expressed it so well when he said, ‘We all want to be buried deep in these lands.’ I feel these words deep in my heart. Greek, Turkish or Armenian, we are all children of these lands,” he said.
Dink was a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin that was allegedly shot by an ultranationalist outside his newspaper’s office Jan. 19, 2007.
While the minister is excited about the many Armenians that will come to the Sept. 19 mass at the Surp Haç Church in the eastern Turkish province, he said he would be unfortunately unable to attend due to a busy schedule.
Armenian concerns
Even though many in the community are suspicious about Turkey’s intentions and are unhappy services will be permitted there only once per year, thousands of Armenians from Armenia itself, Turkey and the diaspora are expected to descend on the church on Akdamar Island.
“It is our pleasure to host everyone who comes here,” Günay said, adding that nationalists and politicians in both countries were kindling the continuing tension and enmity. “If they just stepped aside, people with common sense in both countries would find a way to establish dialogue.”
Part of the Armenian press’ disillusionment with Turkey’s opening of the historical site is based on claims that the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry is putting various religious sites in the area, which were renovated after 2007 and quickly reopened, to commercial use.
In response, Günay said that although he could not speak on behalf of his predecessors, he personally valued each religious site greatly without discerning between them “because I believe in God.”
Trabzon precedent
Regarding the recent mass at Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, Günay said he was sorry the province hit headlines following the Father Santoro in 2006 and the assassination of Dink a year later.
“Some public officers, and particularly the police force, are manipulating those who have nothing to do, that is why these assassinations happened,” the minister said.
Nonetheless, Turks want to improve relations with the Armenian diaspora, Günay said. "We collaborated with other political parties in preparing the mass at Sümela. The people of Trabzon want to clear themselves of their past and they have. They helped us a lot.”
He also said he had prepared the public for the service himself by paying regular visits to the province throughout 2009. “Some people verbally attacked me many times. But I did not care, because I was sure of what I was doing.”
Despite recent speculation that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia was also prepared to hold a service, the minister said the iconic Istanbul site would never host any kind of religious service and would maintain its status as a museum.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
All Armenians planning to attend the Sept. 19 service at Van’s Surp Haç Church will be welcomed with open arms, Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay says. Although some Armenians are suspicious of Turkey’s intentions, the minister expresses Turkey’s goodwill toward all Armenians, adding that the service will bring Turks and Armenians closer together
The Surp Haç Church in Van.
The forthcoming mass at Surp Haç Church in Van represents the continuing effort to achieve reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, according to Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay.
“The Turkish-Armenian Patriarchate introduced the idea of holding mass in the church once a year and we accepted. This brings us one step closer [to rapprochement] and will be followed by others,” Günay recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“I grew up with Armenians, my best friend is Armenian. We never knew enmity. Hrant [Dink] expressed it so well when he said, ‘We all want to be buried deep in these lands.’ I feel these words deep in my heart. Greek, Turkish or Armenian, we are all children of these lands,” he said.
Dink was a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin that was allegedly shot by an ultranationalist outside his newspaper’s office Jan. 19, 2007.
While the minister is excited about the many Armenians that will come to the Sept. 19 mass at the Surp Haç Church in the eastern Turkish province, he said he would be unfortunately unable to attend due to a busy schedule.
Armenian concerns
Even though many in the community are suspicious about Turkey’s intentions and are unhappy services will be permitted there only once per year, thousands of Armenians from Armenia itself, Turkey and the diaspora are expected to descend on the church on Akdamar Island.
“It is our pleasure to host everyone who comes here,” Günay said, adding that nationalists and politicians in both countries were kindling the continuing tension and enmity. “If they just stepped aside, people with common sense in both countries would find a way to establish dialogue.”
Part of the Armenian press’ disillusionment with Turkey’s opening of the historical site is based on claims that the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry is putting various religious sites in the area, which were renovated after 2007 and quickly reopened, to commercial use.
In response, Günay said that although he could not speak on behalf of his predecessors, he personally valued each religious site greatly without discerning between them “because I believe in God.”
Trabzon precedent
Regarding the recent mass at Sümela Monastery in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, Günay said he was sorry the province hit headlines following the Father Santoro in 2006 and the assassination of Dink a year later.
“Some public officers, and particularly the police force, are manipulating those who have nothing to do, that is why these assassinations happened,” the minister said.
Nonetheless, Turks want to improve relations with the Armenian diaspora, Günay said. "We collaborated with other political parties in preparing the mass at Sümela. The people of Trabzon want to clear themselves of their past and they have. They helped us a lot.”
He also said he had prepared the public for the service himself by paying regular visits to the province throughout 2009. “Some people verbally attacked me many times. But I did not care, because I was sure of what I was doing.”
Despite recent speculation that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia was also prepared to hold a service, the minister said the iconic Istanbul site would never host any kind of religious service and would maintain its status as a museum.
3 Eylül 2010 Cuma
Turkish-born writer innocent on murder charge, friends say
Turkish-born writer innocent on murder charge, friends say
Thursday, September 2, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Writer, interpreter and human rights defender Doğan Akhanlı was recently taken into custody at Istanbul’s Atatürk’s Airport and sent to prison for a murder he allegedly committed in 1989, sparking anger and concern from his friends. Akhanlı was remanded in custody after an Aug. 27 hearing, leading his lawyer to criticize Turkey’s justice system
A famous Turkish-born writer, translator and human rights defender recently detained in Istanbul for a murder committed 21 years ago is innocent of the charges, according to his friends, his lawyer and the family of the man killed.
“Justice does not work in Turkey. We have a document that the victim’s sons signed. They say that Akhanlı is not the murderer of their father, and they did not pick him out him as a murderer after the event, but he has still not been released,” Haydar Erol, lawyer for Doğan Akhanlı, said following the case’s first court hearing at the Beşiktaş High Criminal Court on Aug. 27.
According to the indictment, Akhanlı, a German citizen with a number of books to his name, was taken into custody Aug. 10 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on charges that he killed a currency exchange office owner in the city’s Tahtakale neighborhood in 1989. The indictment also said three unnamed suspects were detained three years after the killing, but one of them, an alleged right-wing sympathizer, had identified Akhanlı, who was arrested following the 1980 coup for membership in an illegal leftist political group, as the murderer. The sons of the murder victim also had identified Akhanlı out of a police lineup, the indictment said.
Two of the victim’s sons, however, presented a signed declaration at the courthouse after the first hearing, saying Akhanlı was not their father’s killer and that they had not identified him as the perpetrator in the past.
Despite efforts by the German Consulate as well, Akhanlı was remanded in custody after the trial and transferred to the Tekirdağ F-type Prison.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review after the Aug. 27 hearing, Akhanlı’s friend, writer Selami Gürel, said he was extremely distressed by the charges.
“Nobody caught Akhanlı. He came to Turkey willingly. If he were guilty, would he have come to the country? He was planning to see his 90-year-old father on his deathbed,” Gürel said.
“The imprisonment of Akhanlı, who has positive effects on many people with his pen, is clear evidence that the Sept. 12 military dictatorship still exists,” Turkish Writers Union Secretary-General Tevfik Taş said. “Those speaking about social freedom, including governmental officials, will have to think about this once again. Without a democratic constitution, talking about individual rights and freedom of thought is like pacing in a cage.”
Turkish Human Rights Association founder Ragıp Zarakolu said they thought Akhanlı was still under arrest because of his close interest in the Armenian issue.
“How is it that an intellectual writer is imprisoned?” Zarakolu asked. “This is a shame.”
German Consulate’s steps insufficient
Speaking about Akhanlı’s arrest upon his arrival in Turkey, Gürel said: “I knew he would be arrested because there was a warrant against him, but I though he would be released shortly.”
Gürel said he was also an active member of a left-wing organization in the time leading up to the 1980 coup.
“I went to Germany right after the coup and returned 20 years later even though I knew I would be arrested. I was released a short time later, not imprisoned like Akhanlı,” he said.
Gürel said the German Consulate was closely following Akhanlı’s condition in prison but that its steps had not been enough. “As well as his prison conditions, they should closely follow the judicial process.”
Akhanlı was born in 1957 in Şavşat district of the Black Sea province of Artvin and is now a resident of Cologne, Germany. His book, “The Judges of the Apocalypse,” was published in 1999 and explored the history of the so-called genocide committed by the Ottomans in the early 20th century against Armenians in what is today eastern Turkey. He is known for writing about minorities and has published many works since fleeing Turkey and moving to Germany in 1992.
Doğan Akhanlı
Turkish-born writer Doğan Akhanlı was arrested following the 1980 coup for his left-wing political activity and was incarcerated at Istanbul Military Prison from 1985 to 1987.
He moved to Germany in 1992 and wrote many books, including “Kayıp Denizler” (The Lost Seas) “Denizi Beklerken” (Waiting for the Sea), “Gelincik Tarlası” (The Poppy Field) and “Kıyamet Günü Yargıçları” (The Judges of the Apocalypse). He was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 1998 and received German citizenship in 2001.
Akhanlı’s novel “Madonna’nın Son Hayali” (The Madonna’s Last Dream) featuring the Struma, a ship that sank in the Black Sea with 700 Jewish refugees aboard, was considered by critics as one of the best books of 2005. Working as a guide in EL-DE House, an old Gestapo building in Cologne that now serves as a documentation center and museum, Akhanlı has been working on historical issues and human rights for many years.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Writer, interpreter and human rights defender Doğan Akhanlı was recently taken into custody at Istanbul’s Atatürk’s Airport and sent to prison for a murder he allegedly committed in 1989, sparking anger and concern from his friends. Akhanlı was remanded in custody after an Aug. 27 hearing, leading his lawyer to criticize Turkey’s justice system
A famous Turkish-born writer, translator and human rights defender recently detained in Istanbul for a murder committed 21 years ago is innocent of the charges, according to his friends, his lawyer and the family of the man killed.
“Justice does not work in Turkey. We have a document that the victim’s sons signed. They say that Akhanlı is not the murderer of their father, and they did not pick him out him as a murderer after the event, but he has still not been released,” Haydar Erol, lawyer for Doğan Akhanlı, said following the case’s first court hearing at the Beşiktaş High Criminal Court on Aug. 27.
According to the indictment, Akhanlı, a German citizen with a number of books to his name, was taken into custody Aug. 10 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on charges that he killed a currency exchange office owner in the city’s Tahtakale neighborhood in 1989. The indictment also said three unnamed suspects were detained three years after the killing, but one of them, an alleged right-wing sympathizer, had identified Akhanlı, who was arrested following the 1980 coup for membership in an illegal leftist political group, as the murderer. The sons of the murder victim also had identified Akhanlı out of a police lineup, the indictment said.
Two of the victim’s sons, however, presented a signed declaration at the courthouse after the first hearing, saying Akhanlı was not their father’s killer and that they had not identified him as the perpetrator in the past.
Despite efforts by the German Consulate as well, Akhanlı was remanded in custody after the trial and transferred to the Tekirdağ F-type Prison.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review after the Aug. 27 hearing, Akhanlı’s friend, writer Selami Gürel, said he was extremely distressed by the charges.
“Nobody caught Akhanlı. He came to Turkey willingly. If he were guilty, would he have come to the country? He was planning to see his 90-year-old father on his deathbed,” Gürel said.
“The imprisonment of Akhanlı, who has positive effects on many people with his pen, is clear evidence that the Sept. 12 military dictatorship still exists,” Turkish Writers Union Secretary-General Tevfik Taş said. “Those speaking about social freedom, including governmental officials, will have to think about this once again. Without a democratic constitution, talking about individual rights and freedom of thought is like pacing in a cage.”
Turkish Human Rights Association founder Ragıp Zarakolu said they thought Akhanlı was still under arrest because of his close interest in the Armenian issue.
“How is it that an intellectual writer is imprisoned?” Zarakolu asked. “This is a shame.”
German Consulate’s steps insufficient
Speaking about Akhanlı’s arrest upon his arrival in Turkey, Gürel said: “I knew he would be arrested because there was a warrant against him, but I though he would be released shortly.”
Gürel said he was also an active member of a left-wing organization in the time leading up to the 1980 coup.
“I went to Germany right after the coup and returned 20 years later even though I knew I would be arrested. I was released a short time later, not imprisoned like Akhanlı,” he said.
Gürel said the German Consulate was closely following Akhanlı’s condition in prison but that its steps had not been enough. “As well as his prison conditions, they should closely follow the judicial process.”
Akhanlı was born in 1957 in Şavşat district of the Black Sea province of Artvin and is now a resident of Cologne, Germany. His book, “The Judges of the Apocalypse,” was published in 1999 and explored the history of the so-called genocide committed by the Ottomans in the early 20th century against Armenians in what is today eastern Turkey. He is known for writing about minorities and has published many works since fleeing Turkey and moving to Germany in 1992.
Doğan Akhanlı
Turkish-born writer Doğan Akhanlı was arrested following the 1980 coup for his left-wing political activity and was incarcerated at Istanbul Military Prison from 1985 to 1987.
He moved to Germany in 1992 and wrote many books, including “Kayıp Denizler” (The Lost Seas) “Denizi Beklerken” (Waiting for the Sea), “Gelincik Tarlası” (The Poppy Field) and “Kıyamet Günü Yargıçları” (The Judges of the Apocalypse). He was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 1998 and received German citizenship in 2001.
Akhanlı’s novel “Madonna’nın Son Hayali” (The Madonna’s Last Dream) featuring the Struma, a ship that sank in the Black Sea with 700 Jewish refugees aboard, was considered by critics as one of the best books of 2005. Working as a guide in EL-DE House, an old Gestapo building in Cologne that now serves as a documentation center and museum, Akhanlı has been working on historical issues and human rights for many years.
1 Eylül 2010 Çarşamba
Turkey welcomes Peace Day 20 days early
Turkey welcomes Peace Day 20 days early
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sept. 21 marks the United Nations’ “International Peace Day” – unless one happens to be a citizen of Turkey or northern Cyprus, which will be issuing the special call for peace at home and the world on Wednesday, Sept. 1 instead.
“We mark the international peace day on Sept. 1. I did not know that the global date was Sept. 21,” said Taner Kocakbis, an activist for the “Art Initiative for Peace,” which was launched last year in parallel to the Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, “initiative” to solve the Kurdish problem.
The history of the Sept. 1 date goes back to the aftermath of World War II, as the German peace movement and labor unions launched activities to mark the Sept. 1, 1939, invasion of Poland by Nazi armies.
As the day was heavily influenced by the political left in many countries, including Turkey, the United Nations General Assembly “intervened” and declared in 1981 an “International Day of Peace” on the third Tuesday of every September. In 2001, the day was changed internationally from the third Tuesday to Sept. 21.
Kardeş Türküler, a modern folk band that attends activities every Sept. 1, was also unaware of the discrepancy between the Turkish and global dates. Fehmiye Çelik, a vocalist of the internationally renowned music outfit, said it was not of crucial importance to say “Long Live Peace” 20 days earlier or later.
“More than 30,000 people in our country have died because of the Kurdish problem,” Çelik told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “We still have a long way to go in respecting different identities, cultures, sexual orientations and beliefs. The world is also not all that different, there is widespread discrimination. What is important is to mark the peace day in a constructive way.”
The continuation of the Sept. 1 date in Turkey reflects the heavy influence of the socialist left on the country, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. Ragıp Zarakolu, a human rights activist that is among the founders of the Human Rights Association, said Sept. 1 is basically “celebrated by the left” in Turkey, a tradition that was also reflected in political life in northern Cyprus.
More recently, Sept. 1 has been a day that has become synonymous with efforts to peacefully solve the Kurdish problem, as pro-Kurdish political groups take to the streets, calling for an end to military operations in the Southeast.
“[Still,] it is not logical for Turkey to continue celebrating Sept. 1 as Peace Day,” Zarakolu told the Daily News. “Plus, we are not able to find solutions to [the country’s] problems by marking our peace day 20 days earlier. The Kurdish problem has not yet been solved and intellectuals are still being taken to courts. For whom is this peace?”
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sept. 21 marks the United Nations’ “International Peace Day” – unless one happens to be a citizen of Turkey or northern Cyprus, which will be issuing the special call for peace at home and the world on Wednesday, Sept. 1 instead.
“We mark the international peace day on Sept. 1. I did not know that the global date was Sept. 21,” said Taner Kocakbis, an activist for the “Art Initiative for Peace,” which was launched last year in parallel to the Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, “initiative” to solve the Kurdish problem.
The history of the Sept. 1 date goes back to the aftermath of World War II, as the German peace movement and labor unions launched activities to mark the Sept. 1, 1939, invasion of Poland by Nazi armies.
As the day was heavily influenced by the political left in many countries, including Turkey, the United Nations General Assembly “intervened” and declared in 1981 an “International Day of Peace” on the third Tuesday of every September. In 2001, the day was changed internationally from the third Tuesday to Sept. 21.
Kardeş Türküler, a modern folk band that attends activities every Sept. 1, was also unaware of the discrepancy between the Turkish and global dates. Fehmiye Çelik, a vocalist of the internationally renowned music outfit, said it was not of crucial importance to say “Long Live Peace” 20 days earlier or later.
“More than 30,000 people in our country have died because of the Kurdish problem,” Çelik told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “We still have a long way to go in respecting different identities, cultures, sexual orientations and beliefs. The world is also not all that different, there is widespread discrimination. What is important is to mark the peace day in a constructive way.”
The continuation of the Sept. 1 date in Turkey reflects the heavy influence of the socialist left on the country, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. Ragıp Zarakolu, a human rights activist that is among the founders of the Human Rights Association, said Sept. 1 is basically “celebrated by the left” in Turkey, a tradition that was also reflected in political life in northern Cyprus.
More recently, Sept. 1 has been a day that has become synonymous with efforts to peacefully solve the Kurdish problem, as pro-Kurdish political groups take to the streets, calling for an end to military operations in the Southeast.
“[Still,] it is not logical for Turkey to continue celebrating Sept. 1 as Peace Day,” Zarakolu told the Daily News. “Plus, we are not able to find solutions to [the country’s] problems by marking our peace day 20 days earlier. The Kurdish problem has not yet been solved and intellectuals are still being taken to courts. For whom is this peace?”
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