Van Governor Munir Karaloglu said preparations are complete for the religious gathering in Holy Cross church in Akhtamar island.

"We have our technical preparations complete. In terms of security, our city's police will be sufficient. We will have a helicopter to observe the island from the air. The church on the island is very small, so a lot of people will follow the service from live television on the island. Our press tent will serve journalists who come to the city to cover the event," Karaloglu told Today's Zaman.

"Our goal is to serve people. We want our visitors to be happy. When you look at the old city of Van, you see that a mosque, a church and a synagogue existed not far from each other. This religious service is an opportunity to show our hospitality and our tolerance," he said.

Turkish authorities say there were been problems with erecting a 100-kilogram cross on top of the church, so it will be temporarily placed cross on a wooden base.

Representative of AAC Constantinople Patriarchate, Father Tatoul Anushian said the cross would be permanently placed on the church after the service.