Zahir Kandasoglu: first item on our agenda is opening of the border

September 20, 2010 - 11:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Historian Ara Sarafian, who recently co-authored with writer and publisher Osman Koker the book “Ahtamar: Ortacag Ermeni Mimarliginin Mucevheri” (Ahtamar: A Jewel of Medieval Armenian Architecture), said that the “positive” development of the opening of the church should not be overshadowed by the diaspora’s negative attitude, Today’s Zaman reported.

“I applaud the Turkish government for doing it. There are many complex issues to solve in front of us. There are extremists on both sides. In order to make progress, we need to control them,” he said in a bookstore in Van where he introduced his book.

Professor Baskin Oran, an advocate of reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, said the religious service on the island symbolizes the destruction of the nation-state and the building of a democratic state.

“This is recognition of differences and freedom of religion. Turkey is in a process of normalization,” said Oran, who was on Akhtamar Island on September 19. Oran added that the delay over the cross issue was because of the presence of dark deep-state elements within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

“This church is of important historical value. It is a right step in the right direction for Turkey to recognize its value,” said Germany’s Ambassador to Ankara Eckard Kuntz, who participated in the ceremony at the church. He added that he feels deeply moved by visiting the island with Delal Dink, the daughter of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Kuntz also said he hopes the Turkish-Armenian border will be opened so that more Armenians can come to Turkey directly for the religious service instead of traveling via Georgia.

Zahir Kandasoglu, president of the Van Chamber of Trade and Industry, said opening the border with Armenia would contribute to the development of relations on many fronts. “The first item on our agenda is the opening of the border. Then comes the restoration of all structures of historical value in our region,” he told.

“I wish the cross had been put in place much earlier so that trust between the two communities is not damaged,” he added.

"Armenians, forgive us" online petition

The online petition initiated by three scholars, Ahmet Insel, Baskin Oran and Cengiz Aktar, and a journalist, Ali Bayramoglu read: "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them.”

Holy Cross Church

The 300-seat Holy Cross Church, located on a small island in the middle of Lake Van in eastern Turkey, is in many ways a symbol of the country's Armenian community. The church was built between 915 and 921 during the reign of Armenian King Gagik I of Vaspurakan and was one of the most important religious buildings in the region. The church, whose sandstone walls and dome are adorned with carvings of Jesus Christ and David and Goliath, is considered one of the greatest examples of Armenian architecture of the period, and an inspiration for the Gothic style that later developed in Europe, according to the New York-based Landmarks Foundation, which has advised on the church's restoration. By the end of last century, the church was falling apart due to the heavy rains and winds that swept across the lake.

Following its restoration and reopening in 2007 Holy Cross Church was operating as a museum.