Fener Greek patriarch 'feels sorrow' over protests
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The patriarch says he felt sorrow for a lack of consideration for religious differences.
Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew has released a statement regarding the protests and violence around the world after the release of the “Innocence of Muslims” trailer.
The patriarch said he felt “profound sorrow that the world has rushed into a confusing and volatile
time of religious protests turning violent, and a grievous lack of consideration for religious differences,” in the declaration.
“Symbols are external representations to which all people connect their own internal meaning and values. In developing an understanding of the symbols, we come to understand the person. To destroy symbols is to inflict pain on the people who honor those symbols and the traditions they represent in their heart.”
Bartholomew called all humanity to adopt a “radical conversion of attitudes, habits and practices” and to attain a level of commitment where they are “open to sharing all things with all people.” The anti-Islam movie has sparked angry and violent demonstrations across the Middle East. At least 21 people were killed and hunderds of people wounded during the demonstrations.
October/02/2012
2 Ekim 2012 Salı
28 Eylül 2012 Cuma
Armenians snub mayor’s call for return
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Prominent members of Armenian diaspora reject Diyarbakır Mayor’s invitation to Armenians whose ancestors were forced to flee in 1915 to return to the city
Various well-known names among the Armenian diaspora have reacted negatively Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir recent invitation to Armenians and other non-Muslim peoples, whose ancestors lived in the southeastern province before they were forced to flee during the events of 1915, to return to the city.
Ara Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute in London, and whose family’s origins lie in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat and Elazığ, was among those to react to Baydemir’s invitation.
“Baydemir’s call is not enough. And what is more, it could be manipulated by the Turkish nationalists.
Even though the intention is good, Baydemir is a politician above all,” Sarafyan said, adding that a considerable part of the diaspora has its origins in Diyarbakır. “As in most provinces, Armenians were also massacred in Diyarbakır. Why should they return to the city they left with great pain?”
“An Armenian, an Assyrian and a Chaldean, whose grandfathers or great-grandfathers were born in Diyarbakır, have the same right to live in Diyarbakır as I have, [speaking] as a Kurdish person who was born in Diyarbakır. I would like to invite all the ethnic groups whose ancestors once lived in Diyarbakır back to Diyarbakır again. Come back to your city,” Baydemir said, addressing Turkish and Armenian journalists on Sept. 25 on the sidelines of a roundtable conference called “Expanding the Scope of Dialogue: Media and Armenia-Turkey Relations at the Current Stage,” organized by the Yerevan Press Club in Diyarbakır.
“I don’t believe it is a serious and sincere call. It has no meaning for us; no one could come back. What would we find out about ourselves if we returned? I would of course want to return the land where my ancestors were born, but it is not possible under such conditions,” Suzanne Khardalian, a film director currently residing in Stockholm whose family comes from Adıyaman and Maraş, said.
Why Diyarbakır?’
Garo Yalick, who currently lives in France but whose family has origins in Van and Mardin, said the call did not make any sense to him.
“They only remember to call on Armenian when they are faced with political problems. So I want to ask: Why should we come back?” Yalick said.
The Armenian press also criticized Diyarbakır’s being chosen for the “Turkey-Armenia Relations” conference organized by the Yerevan Press Club and chaired by Boris Navasartyan, because the Kurdish issue is so intensely felt in the city.
A column about Baydemir’s invitation, asking “Why Diyarbakır?” was published by Hagop Çakıryan, a columnist for the Armenian newspaper Azg who specializes in Turkey.
“Diyarbakır is being introduced as the capital city of North Kurdistan, while Osman Baydemir is regarded as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s [PKK] representative. Baydemir is also seen as an enemy in political circles in Turkey,” Çakıryan’s column read.
The fact that Sunday’s meeting’s was held in Diyarbakır would not be useful for the dialogue between the two countries, Çakıryan told the Hürriyet Daily News. “Diyarbakır is a city associated with the Kurdish problem. It must be the last place to go in terms of Turkey-Armenia relations. While the Yerevan Press Club chair was saying this meeting would contribute to Turkey-Armenia relations, Baydemir both underlined the events of 1915 and made a call for the return [of non-Muslim ethnic groups],” Çakıryan said.
September/28/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Prominent members of Armenian diaspora reject Diyarbakır Mayor’s invitation to Armenians whose ancestors were forced to flee in 1915 to return to the city
Various well-known names among the Armenian diaspora have reacted negatively Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir recent invitation to Armenians and other non-Muslim peoples, whose ancestors lived in the southeastern province before they were forced to flee during the events of 1915, to return to the city.
Ara Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute in London, and whose family’s origins lie in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat and Elazığ, was among those to react to Baydemir’s invitation.
“Baydemir’s call is not enough. And what is more, it could be manipulated by the Turkish nationalists.
Even though the intention is good, Baydemir is a politician above all,” Sarafyan said, adding that a considerable part of the diaspora has its origins in Diyarbakır. “As in most provinces, Armenians were also massacred in Diyarbakır. Why should they return to the city they left with great pain?”
“An Armenian, an Assyrian and a Chaldean, whose grandfathers or great-grandfathers were born in Diyarbakır, have the same right to live in Diyarbakır as I have, [speaking] as a Kurdish person who was born in Diyarbakır. I would like to invite all the ethnic groups whose ancestors once lived in Diyarbakır back to Diyarbakır again. Come back to your city,” Baydemir said, addressing Turkish and Armenian journalists on Sept. 25 on the sidelines of a roundtable conference called “Expanding the Scope of Dialogue: Media and Armenia-Turkey Relations at the Current Stage,” organized by the Yerevan Press Club in Diyarbakır.
“I don’t believe it is a serious and sincere call. It has no meaning for us; no one could come back. What would we find out about ourselves if we returned? I would of course want to return the land where my ancestors were born, but it is not possible under such conditions,” Suzanne Khardalian, a film director currently residing in Stockholm whose family comes from Adıyaman and Maraş, said.
Why Diyarbakır?’
Garo Yalick, who currently lives in France but whose family has origins in Van and Mardin, said the call did not make any sense to him.
“They only remember to call on Armenian when they are faced with political problems. So I want to ask: Why should we come back?” Yalick said.
The Armenian press also criticized Diyarbakır’s being chosen for the “Turkey-Armenia Relations” conference organized by the Yerevan Press Club and chaired by Boris Navasartyan, because the Kurdish issue is so intensely felt in the city.
A column about Baydemir’s invitation, asking “Why Diyarbakır?” was published by Hagop Çakıryan, a columnist for the Armenian newspaper Azg who specializes in Turkey.
“Diyarbakır is being introduced as the capital city of North Kurdistan, while Osman Baydemir is regarded as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s [PKK] representative. Baydemir is also seen as an enemy in political circles in Turkey,” Çakıryan’s column read.
The fact that Sunday’s meeting’s was held in Diyarbakır would not be useful for the dialogue between the two countries, Çakıryan told the Hürriyet Daily News. “Diyarbakır is a city associated with the Kurdish problem. It must be the last place to go in terms of Turkey-Armenia relations. While the Yerevan Press Club chair was saying this meeting would contribute to Turkey-Armenia relations, Baydemir both underlined the events of 1915 and made a call for the return [of non-Muslim ethnic groups],” Çakıryan said.
September/28/2012
18 Eylül 2012 Salı
Aliyev to visit France as tension continues
ISTANBUL-Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Azerbaijan’s President İlham Aliyev will travel to France today, as a group mostly consisting of members of the French-Armenian diaspora prepares to protest his visit.
Aliyev will attend the opening ceremony of the Islamic Arts Hall at the Louvre Museum, and then meet France’s President François Hollande at the Elysee Presidential Palace. His visit comes at a time of high tension between Yerevan and Baku, due to the latter’s pardoning and promotion of Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer who murdered an Armenian counterpart at a NATO event in 2004.
‘Safarov case’ on the agenda
Hollande will bring the issue of Safarov’s release to the agenda during his meeting with Aliyev, said Franck Mourad Papazian, a prominent figure in the French-Armenian diaspora and a member of the Dashnaksutyun Party, in a telephone interview with Hürriyet Daily News.
The protest of Aliyev’s visit is intended as call for a justice addressed to the entire world, Papzian said. “Aliyev’s government pardoned and promoted Safarov, who killed Gurgen Margaryan just because he was an Armenian. Forgiving a murderer means ignoring and violating international law,” Papazian said. More than 6,000 people all over France are expected to attend the protests.
With regard to the French draft law concerning denial of the alleged Armenian genocide, which had caused tension between Turkey and France, Papazian said the Hollande government will revive the law, and that negotiations to schedule this were ongoing.
September/18/2012
ISTANBUL-Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Azerbaijan’s President İlham Aliyev will travel to France today, as a group mostly consisting of members of the French-Armenian diaspora prepares to protest his visit.
Aliyev will attend the opening ceremony of the Islamic Arts Hall at the Louvre Museum, and then meet France’s President François Hollande at the Elysee Presidential Palace. His visit comes at a time of high tension between Yerevan and Baku, due to the latter’s pardoning and promotion of Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer who murdered an Armenian counterpart at a NATO event in 2004.
‘Safarov case’ on the agenda
Hollande will bring the issue of Safarov’s release to the agenda during his meeting with Aliyev, said Franck Mourad Papazian, a prominent figure in the French-Armenian diaspora and a member of the Dashnaksutyun Party, in a telephone interview with Hürriyet Daily News.
The protest of Aliyev’s visit is intended as call for a justice addressed to the entire world, Papzian said. “Aliyev’s government pardoned and promoted Safarov, who killed Gurgen Margaryan just because he was an Armenian. Forgiving a murderer means ignoring and violating international law,” Papazian said. More than 6,000 people all over France are expected to attend the protests.
With regard to the French draft law concerning denial of the alleged Armenian genocide, which had caused tension between Turkey and France, Papazian said the Hollande government will revive the law, and that negotiations to schedule this were ongoing.
September/18/2012
Report reveals Syriacs’ rocky journey out of Syria
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
A recently released report shows that many Aramean Syriacs fleeing the violence from Syria are smuggled to Europe via Turkey. However, they are sent to refugee camps or jails after being discovered
Many Aramean Syriacs fleeing the violence in Syria for European countries via Turkey are either sent to refugee camps or jails, according to a recent report prepared by the Swedish-based NGO the World Council of Arameans (Syriacs).
The report, titled “Aramean (Syriac) Refugees from Syria into Greece via Turkey: A Case Study of Refugees in Need in Athens,” says Aramean migrants first try to reach Istanbul, then go to Greece and then on to a third country. However, many are sent to jail or to refugee camps after being discovered.
The report will be sent to the relevant bodies of the U.N. and the EU. “Some 300 Aramean Christian families have escaped from Syria and fled to Greece to seek refugee … We have worked with clergy from the Syriac Orthodox Church in order to uncover some of their stories. The refugees told us how they had crossed the borders into Turkey, some through legal and others through illegal borders,” World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) President Johny Messo told Hürriyet Daily News.
“They left Syria because they feel threatened and intimidated. They did not want to fight in this war and fear an uncertain future,” he said.Messo said all the refugees were afraid of what comes next for them in Greece. “Many stay in dismal and depressing situations, afraid to leave their new houses, hoping not to be robbed, arrested or forced back to Syria.
They are all trying to leave Greece for either Sweden or Germany, where their other family members are located,” he said. According to the report, human traffickers ask for approximately 4000 euros for adults and 2000 euros for children to pass into Europe. It also says that 76 percent of the refugees come from Qamisli, 12 percent from Hassake and 12 percent from Malikeye (Derik). Around 65 percent are male and 35 percent are female. The journey to Greece is not safe and a number of refugees have almost died, with three or four times the safe number of people cramming together onto unsafe boats.
Refugee stories
The report also includes stories from the refugees themselves. Abdo Ablahad, 29, escaped from Syria on July 18. He went from Derik across the Turkish border and on to Istanbul. After arriving Istanbul he met a 16-year-old Iranian smuggler who transported him to Greece for 1,500 euros. Ablahad made the journey with approximately 50 other refugees from Syria, including Sunnis and Alevis. He has made three attempts to get to Germany, which is where his whole family lives, through Greece’s Thessaloniki airport, but he was caught by the police each time. Although he has a fake Italian passport, the police now know him.
Stayfo Sharbel, 20, was an economics student in Haseki. However, his Aramean university friend was kidnapped and his parents told him to stop going to university. They also wanted him to leave to country because there were calls for him to be drafted into the army and he did not want to fight in the war. Sharbel crossed the border into Turkey and later arrived in Istanbul.
There was no motor so the group he was with had to row across approximately 50 kilometers to get to a Greek island. However, when they landed the police caught and sent them to jail. Sharbel wants to go on to Sweden and has tried but failed on three occasions to reach there from Thessaloniki Airport. His family has remained in Syria, and he is unsure of his future.
September/18/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
A recently released report shows that many Aramean Syriacs fleeing the violence from Syria are smuggled to Europe via Turkey. However, they are sent to refugee camps or jails after being discovered
Many Aramean Syriacs fleeing the violence in Syria for European countries via Turkey are either sent to refugee camps or jails, according to a recent report prepared by the Swedish-based NGO the World Council of Arameans (Syriacs).
The report, titled “Aramean (Syriac) Refugees from Syria into Greece via Turkey: A Case Study of Refugees in Need in Athens,” says Aramean migrants first try to reach Istanbul, then go to Greece and then on to a third country. However, many are sent to jail or to refugee camps after being discovered.
The report will be sent to the relevant bodies of the U.N. and the EU. “Some 300 Aramean Christian families have escaped from Syria and fled to Greece to seek refugee … We have worked with clergy from the Syriac Orthodox Church in order to uncover some of their stories. The refugees told us how they had crossed the borders into Turkey, some through legal and others through illegal borders,” World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) President Johny Messo told Hürriyet Daily News.
“They left Syria because they feel threatened and intimidated. They did not want to fight in this war and fear an uncertain future,” he said.Messo said all the refugees were afraid of what comes next for them in Greece. “Many stay in dismal and depressing situations, afraid to leave their new houses, hoping not to be robbed, arrested or forced back to Syria.
They are all trying to leave Greece for either Sweden or Germany, where their other family members are located,” he said. According to the report, human traffickers ask for approximately 4000 euros for adults and 2000 euros for children to pass into Europe. It also says that 76 percent of the refugees come from Qamisli, 12 percent from Hassake and 12 percent from Malikeye (Derik). Around 65 percent are male and 35 percent are female. The journey to Greece is not safe and a number of refugees have almost died, with three or four times the safe number of people cramming together onto unsafe boats.
Refugee stories
The report also includes stories from the refugees themselves. Abdo Ablahad, 29, escaped from Syria on July 18. He went from Derik across the Turkish border and on to Istanbul. After arriving Istanbul he met a 16-year-old Iranian smuggler who transported him to Greece for 1,500 euros. Ablahad made the journey with approximately 50 other refugees from Syria, including Sunnis and Alevis. He has made three attempts to get to Germany, which is where his whole family lives, through Greece’s Thessaloniki airport, but he was caught by the police each time. Although he has a fake Italian passport, the police now know him.
Stayfo Sharbel, 20, was an economics student in Haseki. However, his Aramean university friend was kidnapped and his parents told him to stop going to university. They also wanted him to leave to country because there were calls for him to be drafted into the army and he did not want to fight in the war. Sharbel crossed the border into Turkey and later arrived in Istanbul.
There was no motor so the group he was with had to row across approximately 50 kilometers to get to a Greek island. However, when they landed the police caught and sent them to jail. Sharbel wants to go on to Sweden and has tried but failed on three occasions to reach there from Thessaloniki Airport. His family has remained in Syria, and he is unsure of his future.
September/18/2012
17 Eylül 2012 Pazartesi
Pope Wraps up Mideast visit, nets criticism
BEIRUT - Hürriyet Daily News
Pope Benedict arrives in his popemobile to hold mass in downtown Beirut. AP Photo
The spiritual leaders of Middle Eastern Christian communities have expressed their disappointment with the outcome of Pope Benedict XVI’s landmark trip to the region, saying they had hoped to present their problems to a greater degree.
The spiritual leaders were planning to bring the current situation of the Christian communities and the high tension in Syria to the pontiff’s agenda, but were largely unable to do so.
“We wished to talk about the situation of the Christians in the Middle East, especially in Syria, but our time was very limited,” Mor Theophilus Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon George Saliba told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Saliba also touched upon the attacks that have increased the tension in the Middle East and commented on the assassinations last week of four U.S. diplomatic officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, as he criticized the anti-Islam movie “The Innocence of Muslims” that led to the incidents.
“The movie is disturbing and scandalous. No one has the right to insult others’ beliefs in such a way. The Middle East is already a field of conflicts, and this movie will [stir up] the area still more,” Saliba said.
Everyone, including Christians and Muslims, is suffering from the rising tension in the region, the metropolitan said. “People in the Middle East want to stop this pain as soon as possible, including both Christians and Muslims.”
Reisyan also called the movie “scandalous,” adding that the movie would trigger violent actions in the region and stated that not only Christians but also Muslims were under threat in Syria. “The Innocence of Muslims,” produced by a filmmaker in the United States, ridicules Islam and insults the Prophet Muhammad.
‘Patriarchate won’t return to Turkey’
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, is conducting negotiations in order to bring the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic patriarchates in Damascus and Lebanon back to Turkey. Both Patriarchates were exiled from Turkey during the 1930s, but Saliba said such a move was unlikely to occur.
“We are determined to stay here, where they respect us the very most. We don’t have any intention of leaving here,” he said.
When asked what he thought about the emigration of the community due to the conflicts in the region, he said, “Here is our homeland, so we should keep our existence in this land.”
Reisyan also said Syrian Armenians should stay in the region. “As Syrian Armenians, we have never been a party to a conflict where brothers shed each other’s blood and never will be. We hope peace will prevail in the region as soon as possible.”
September/17/2012
BEIRUT - Hürriyet Daily News
Pope Benedict arrives in his popemobile to hold mass in downtown Beirut. AP Photo
The spiritual leaders of Middle Eastern Christian communities have expressed their disappointment with the outcome of Pope Benedict XVI’s landmark trip to the region, saying they had hoped to present their problems to a greater degree.
The spiritual leaders were planning to bring the current situation of the Christian communities and the high tension in Syria to the pontiff’s agenda, but were largely unable to do so.
“We wished to talk about the situation of the Christians in the Middle East, especially in Syria, but our time was very limited,” Mor Theophilus Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon George Saliba told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Saliba also touched upon the attacks that have increased the tension in the Middle East and commented on the assassinations last week of four U.S. diplomatic officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, as he criticized the anti-Islam movie “The Innocence of Muslims” that led to the incidents.
“The movie is disturbing and scandalous. No one has the right to insult others’ beliefs in such a way. The Middle East is already a field of conflicts, and this movie will [stir up] the area still more,” Saliba said.
Everyone, including Christians and Muslims, is suffering from the rising tension in the region, the metropolitan said. “People in the Middle East want to stop this pain as soon as possible, including both Christians and Muslims.”
Reisyan also called the movie “scandalous,” adding that the movie would trigger violent actions in the region and stated that not only Christians but also Muslims were under threat in Syria. “The Innocence of Muslims,” produced by a filmmaker in the United States, ridicules Islam and insults the Prophet Muhammad.
‘Patriarchate won’t return to Turkey’
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, is conducting negotiations in order to bring the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic patriarchates in Damascus and Lebanon back to Turkey. Both Patriarchates were exiled from Turkey during the 1930s, but Saliba said such a move was unlikely to occur.
“We are determined to stay here, where they respect us the very most. We don’t have any intention of leaving here,” he said.
When asked what he thought about the emigration of the community due to the conflicts in the region, he said, “Here is our homeland, so we should keep our existence in this land.”
Reisyan also said Syrian Armenians should stay in the region. “As Syrian Armenians, we have never been a party to a conflict where brothers shed each other’s blood and never will be. We hope peace will prevail in the region as soon as possible.”
September/17/2012
14 Eylül 2012 Cuma
Teachers in quake-hit Van start their post
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Turkish Housing Development Administration’s (TOKİ) has recently completed new housings in Van, which will be distributed to the victims of the earthquake.
The young teachers newly appointed to positions in the eastern province of Van, which was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake last year, are happy because to able to start their jobs after a long waiting period, but they are also concerned about the scarcity of available houses in the area.
“I have been waiting to be appointed for two years. In the draw, Van was the duty assignment selected for me. I am aware that students here need education, but there is the problem of finding a place to stay. I have not been able to find a place to rent, and the Teachers Lodging building collapsed in the earthquake,” said 23-year-old English teacher Tuğba T. from İzmir, who wished to remain anonymous because she is a public employee.
Tuğba T. is required to fulfill three years of compulsory service in Van. “I am alone. This is my first time in the eastern provinces. I have some concerns about safety,” she said.
“Because there are no houses available for rent, the authorities have suggested that we live in container homes in the container cities. I would have to share a container with another teacher. I don’t know what will happen,” Tuğba T. said.
28-year old mathematics teacher Melek Y. says she waited four years before being appointed to Van. “It will take us a full year before we settle into houses. We will be temporarily accommodated in container cities. Because of the scarcity of housing, we will share our containers with other teachers. I believe our living conditions will be tough,” she said.
Thirty-five-year-old Banu A., a literature teacher, said she did not have a problem finding accommodation because her husband is a police officer. “We have a place to stay in police housing. Many of my fellow teachers are having problems finding accommodations. No one is complaining about having been appointed to the east, but this accommodation issue calls for an immediate solution.”
There is no major accommodation issue, Van Governor Münir Karaloğlu told Hürriyet Daily News.
September/14/2012
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Turkish Housing Development Administration’s (TOKİ) has recently completed new housings in Van, which will be distributed to the victims of the earthquake.
The young teachers newly appointed to positions in the eastern province of Van, which was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake last year, are happy because to able to start their jobs after a long waiting period, but they are also concerned about the scarcity of available houses in the area.
“I have been waiting to be appointed for two years. In the draw, Van was the duty assignment selected for me. I am aware that students here need education, but there is the problem of finding a place to stay. I have not been able to find a place to rent, and the Teachers Lodging building collapsed in the earthquake,” said 23-year-old English teacher Tuğba T. from İzmir, who wished to remain anonymous because she is a public employee.
Tuğba T. is required to fulfill three years of compulsory service in Van. “I am alone. This is my first time in the eastern provinces. I have some concerns about safety,” she said.
“Because there are no houses available for rent, the authorities have suggested that we live in container homes in the container cities. I would have to share a container with another teacher. I don’t know what will happen,” Tuğba T. said.
28-year old mathematics teacher Melek Y. says she waited four years before being appointed to Van. “It will take us a full year before we settle into houses. We will be temporarily accommodated in container cities. Because of the scarcity of housing, we will share our containers with other teachers. I believe our living conditions will be tough,” she said.
Thirty-five-year-old Banu A., a literature teacher, said she did not have a problem finding accommodation because her husband is a police officer. “We have a place to stay in police housing. Many of my fellow teachers are having problems finding accommodations. No one is complaining about having been appointed to the east, but this accommodation issue calls for an immediate solution.”
There is no major accommodation issue, Van Governor Münir Karaloğlu told Hürriyet Daily News.
September/14/2012
13 Eylül 2012 Perşembe
Minister ‘wants’ to attend masses
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkish Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay has said that in the coming years he would like to attend masses in those long-dormant churches that have been reopened during his term in office.
Günay attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the Urartu Museum, which is to be opened in the eastern province of Van. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Günay commented on his 10 years in office.
“We not only reopened Sümela [in Trabzon] and Surp Haç [in Van], but also opened the Church of St. Nicholas located in Demre [in Antalya] for religious services. From Alevis to Greeks and from Armenians to Sunnis, we wanted to revive mutual awareness and the will to live together. This is [the Justice and Development Party] AKP’s main goal. It is true that I did not attend [those services which have already taken place in the reopened churches] but I would like to attend future ones,” Günay said.
With Günay’s approval, historic Sümela Monastery, located in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, was reopened in 2010. After that, Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Church, located in the eastern province of Van, was opened for religious services once a year just after its restoration was completed.
Günay also commented on the sculpture “Monument to Humanity,” which was erected in the eastern province of Kars and dedicated to Turkish-Armenian friendship, and was removed after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called it “freakish” and demanded its removal.
“They [the AKP] have supported me in all my work, but of course there have been some issues. The humanity monument was one of the biggest of these. Politics and art should not have conflicted with each other in that way; I did not want a work of art to be called ‘freakish,’ but the press forced the prime minister to use this word,” Günay said, when asked whether he had encountered difficulties during his term in office.
“It is true that I have leftist tendencies, but the AKP includes people with different views. It was a newly founded party then, and it turned a new page for me,” Günay said.
September/13/2012
VAN - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkish Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay has said that in the coming years he would like to attend masses in those long-dormant churches that have been reopened during his term in office.
Günay attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the Urartu Museum, which is to be opened in the eastern province of Van. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Günay commented on his 10 years in office.
“We not only reopened Sümela [in Trabzon] and Surp Haç [in Van], but also opened the Church of St. Nicholas located in Demre [in Antalya] for religious services. From Alevis to Greeks and from Armenians to Sunnis, we wanted to revive mutual awareness and the will to live together. This is [the Justice and Development Party] AKP’s main goal. It is true that I did not attend [those services which have already taken place in the reopened churches] but I would like to attend future ones,” Günay said.
With Günay’s approval, historic Sümela Monastery, located in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, was reopened in 2010. After that, Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Church, located in the eastern province of Van, was opened for religious services once a year just after its restoration was completed.
Günay also commented on the sculpture “Monument to Humanity,” which was erected in the eastern province of Kars and dedicated to Turkish-Armenian friendship, and was removed after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called it “freakish” and demanded its removal.
“They [the AKP] have supported me in all my work, but of course there have been some issues. The humanity monument was one of the biggest of these. Politics and art should not have conflicted with each other in that way; I did not want a work of art to be called ‘freakish,’ but the press forced the prime minister to use this word,” Günay said, when asked whether he had encountered difficulties during his term in office.
“It is true that I have leftist tendencies, but the AKP includes people with different views. It was a newly founded party then, and it turned a new page for me,” Günay said.
September/13/2012
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