Political expert Stepan Grigoryan expressed his concern over Armenians’ attitude towards the oncoming mass at Surb Khach church in the island of Akhtamar.

“I’m surprised at how easily we refuse from participating in Surb Khach mass,” Stepan Grigoryan told a news conference in Yerevan.

“We have to be there, not because we’re yielding to Turkish government’s attempts to demonstrate good will, but because that church is ours,” the expert emphasized, welcoming Armenian Church’s resolution to participate in the liturgy.