Turkish Forum

Tag: Aykazian

  • Archbishop Aykazian: Turkey will apologize for Genocide

    Archbishop Aykazian: Turkey will apologize for Genocide

    Washington – Archbishop Vicken Aykazian is the Washington-based Legate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church and a prominent figure in international inter-faith dialogue. The Armenian Reporter’s Emil Sanamyan submitted questions to Archbishop Aykazian soon after his most recent trip to Turkey; the answers were then returned by e-mail.

    b bf30af3dcfcb56ee55871693058456deAR: What was the significance of the Surb Giragos re-consecration last October compared to the earlier renovation at Aghtamar?

    VA: Let me begin by saying that the October pilgrimage to Anatolia was a spiritual mission, which had no political goals whatsoever. The Diocese led a group of Diocesan leaders on a pilgrimage to the city of Diyarbakir (Dikranakert), in Turkey, where they took part in the October 22 re-consecration of the historic St. Giragos Armenian Church. Again, it was a spiritual mission, and the goal was to support the Armenian community of Turkey in celebrating this important milestone.

    St. Giragos is the first Armenian Church in Anatolia to be re-constructed by the Armenian people after 1915. It was an all-Armenian effort to which Diaspora Armenians contributed. The Turkish government did not provide financial support.

    This is one of the biggest Armenian churches in the Middle East, and right in the center of Anatolia, so I thought it was important to be present for the consecration there. As we saw, there are many people there who are ready to proclaim their Armenian heritage.

    By contrast, Aghtamar was renovated entirely by the Turkish government and it’s not used as a sanctuary except once a year. It is mostly used as an ancient monument and tourist attraction site.

    AR: There was a Turkish media report that about a dozen of Turks who are of Armenian descent were baptized at Surb Giragos. How significant is this?

    VA: It is indeed a very significant development in Turkey. I think if there was a priest appointed to St. Giragos Church that number would grow.

    During our time in Dikranagerd people from young children to the very elderly approached us and said they were Armenians, or someone in their family was Armenian – something that you never heard in the past. I believe this is going to be a first step, and a very important step.

    AR: The size of the Istanbul community is estimated at 40,000 people. Is there an estimate for the Armenian population of Anatolia, including the “hidden” segment?

    VA: Nobody knows about the exact number of the Armenians in Turkey. According to some Turkish intellectuals there are more than two million. However it is very difficult to know the number.

    The property issue

    AR: What does the recent Turkish government decision on return of some of the previously confiscated properties to minority foundations mean as far as the Istanbul patriarchate?

    VA: The decision of the Turkish government on the return of properties to minorities does not only apply to Armenians, but also for example, Greeks, Assyrians, Syrians, and Jews. We hope we will benefit from this.

    The church in Dikranakert is in the process of receiving some of the lands that belonged to it. The Patriarchate is working this out now. And more importantly, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has a lot of land and property in Turkey, so they too are trying to get back their properties.

    But I think it’s too early to say how successful this will be. Time will show. But I hope that this law won’t only be on paper. I hope it will be put into action.

    AR: Is there an inventory list of Armenian Church properties in Anatolia that the church hopes to get back? How many Armenian churches now operate in Anatolia?

    VA: I am not aware about the inventory of the entire Armenian Church property. There are now a total of four operational churches in Anatolia: in Diyarbakir, Kayseri, Iskenderun and in nearby Vakifkoy.

    Too early for business as usual

    AR: Turkish media reported that the Diocese delegation met with executives at Çal?k Holding, a government-connected business conglomerate. Were you in that meeting and what was its purpose?

    VA: I was present during the meeting with Çal?k. There was no conversation about doing business at all. It was about the relationship between our two peoples [Armenians and Turks].

    AR: What is your view of Diaspora Armenian businessmen investing in Turkey?

    VA: Any Armenian who does business with Turkey will not ask for permission. I personally would not do it.

    AR: But as Turkish government is moving away from its previously uniformly hostile attitude towards Armenians, should Armenians also begin to change their attitude towards Turkey and if so, how?

    VA: I personally believe that there should be a dialogue between the government of Armenia and the government of Turkey. No problems could be solved without dialogue. I believe that Armenians should consider rethinking some positions, but without giving up our demands.

    I recently spoke with the Hürriyet newspaper in Turkey. They asked me if the Armenian Genocide would be part of the dialogue. I said that the Armenian Genocide is not a negotiable issue, but when we speak about the dialogue everything should be put on the table.

    AR: What is the significance of Erdogan’s apology over Dersim massacres of 1930s? Could this become a precedent for an apology over the Armenian Genocide?

    VA: It’s very interesting the evolution that is taking place in Turkey. The approach of Prime Minister Erdogan is even more interesting. The most recent thing he did was to apologize for the massacres of the 1930s. I believe it is possible that Turkey is trying to approach the decision to apologize to Armenia and the Armenian people.

    via Armenian Reporter:.

  • Pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese take part in Consecration in Dikranakert

    Pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese take part in Consecration in Dikranakert

    October 24, 2011  —  Last week Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), led a group of Diocesan leaders on a pilgrimage to the city of Diarbekir (Dikranakert), in Turkey, where they took part in the October 22 re-consecration of the historic St. Giragos Armenian Church.

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    The group which included the Diocese’s Ecumenical Director, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, was scheduled to travel to the historic Armenian region of Van as well, but the earthquake in that region on Sunday afternoon caused a cancellation of those plans.

    As reported shortly after news of the disaster broke, the pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese are safe and were unaffected by the earthquake. But in a telephone interview Sunday, Archbishop Barsamian said, “After such a splendid [re-consecration] ceremony, our hearts were heavy when we learned of the earthquake, and our prayers go out to the victims and their families.”

    The restoration and re-consecration of the St. Giragos Armenian Church was a major event in the region, with dignitaries and pilgrims from around the world participating. Constructed in the 16th century, St. Giragos is arguably one of the great sanctuaries of the worldwide Armenian Church. After years of abuse, the recent renovation project—to which a number of diaspora Armenians contributed—has restored it to its former glory.

    The group of pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese arrived in Istanbul on Friday, October 21, and had dinner that evening with Archbishop Aram Ateshian, Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, who warmly welcomed the group. Archbishop Barsamian extended his thanks to Archbishop Ateshian.

    On Saturday morning, the pilgrims travelled to Diarbekir (Dikranakert), and on their arrival at the local airport they were welcomed by members of the St. Giragos Armenian Church parish council. They proceeded to tour the Old City of Dikranakert—including the ancient St. Sarkis Armenian Church, located in the historic district.

    Streets throughout Diarbekir were festooned with flags in Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish reading “Welcome home.” The sentiment throughout the city was festive, warm, and welcoming.

    The consecration of St. Giragos Armenian Church began at 5 p.m. Archbishop Ateshian, Archbishop Barsamian, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Bishop Shahan Sarkisian (Primate of Aleppo), and Bishop Sahag Mashalian (from Istanbul) consecrated the five altars. Also present was the Very Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, formerly of the Eastern Diocese and currently the Pontifical Legate for Central Europe.

    The number of participants in the service exceeded 2,000, with groups of Armenian pilgrims from Istanbul, the U.S., Armenia, Holland, Germany, Aleppo, and Lebanon present.

    Among the dignitaries attending were the United States Consul General of Istanbul, Scott Kilner; the U.S. Consul of Adana, Daria Darnell; the mayor of greater Diarbekir Osman Baydemir; Abdullah Demirbas, mayor of the city’s Sur Ici section (the area “inside the walls” of the old fortified city); and Mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick, Rhode Island (U.S.A.)—all of whom were very interested in the service and supportive of the historic event.

    At the conclusion of the service, the mayor of greater Diarbekir, Osman Baydemir, offered his warm welcome to the visitors—speaking first in Armenian, then in Kurdish, Turkish, English, and Arabic. To the Armenian pilgrims he said, “Welcome to your home. You are not guests here; this is your home. Anytime you come here, you are coming to your home.”

    “This is a happy and special day not only for you but also for us,” Mayor Baydemir continued. “We all know about past events, and our wish is that our children will celebrate together the coming achievements.” Mayor Baydemir’s remarks were frequently interrupted by applause, as those gathered were gratified to hear acknowledgement that the city is indeed an historic Armenian center.

    “A day of hope”

    Mayor Baydemir hosted a diner for the clergy and guests, where the U.S. Consul General and the U.S. Consul of Adana were also present.

    Vartkes Ergun Ayik, chairman of the St. Giragos Church parish council, welcomed the visitors, thanked all those who had participated in the restoration project, and invited Archbishop Barsamian to offer some remarks.

    The day’s achievement, said Archbishop Barsamian, “represents many things to all of us. But most of all, perhaps, it is the result of the mutual recognition and respect of everyone involved, which has animated this project from the very beginning. That is a great reason to be hopeful, and it makes today, above all, a day of hope—a day to look to the future with optimism.”

    “As pilgrims from America who have been blessed to be a part of this day, we share in that sense of optimism and hope,” he added. He closed by making presentations of the “St. Vartan Award” to Mayor Osman Baydemir and Mayor Abdullah Demirbas.

    Archbishop Aram Ateshian likewise expressed thanks to everyone, and presented silver awards to both mayors, and to the architect of the restoration project.

    Greater Diarbekir Mayor Baydemir concluded the evening by characterizing the occasion as one not only for celebration, “but a day of expressing our apologies for the tragic events of the past. We want to see you come back here not only as tourists, but also as people coming back home.”

    Sunday morning witnessed the celebration of the Armenian Divine Liturgy in the newly re-consecrated St. Giragos Church. Archbishop Ateshian was the celebrant and homilist, and members of the Sts. Vartanantz Church choir from Ferikoy, Istanbul, sang the Komitas setting of the badarak.

    The service took place before another remarkably large gathering of the faithful, which included guest Armenian clergy, as well as the Syrian Orthodox bishop of Adiaben; the representative of His Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; mayors Baydemir and Demirbas, and the two American consuls.

    To conclude the liturgy, the Armenian hokehankisd (requiem) service was performed for the deceased primates, pastors, altar servers, and faithful of Dikranakert.

    With the next day’s planned trip to Van (where the group of pilgrims was scheduled to visit the Holy Cross Church on Aghtamar Island) cancelled due to the earthquake, the Eastern Diocese group drove instead to visit the 17th-century St. Kevork Church in Derek, near Mardin. There they met the caretakers who faithfully care for the 300-year-old Bible and hymnal housed within the church. The pilgrims were welcomed by Eyyup Guven, author of a biography titled “Kohar”—the memoir of an Armenian Genocide survivor from the area. During their visit the pilgrims were trailed by a sizeable group of local residents, eager to say that they were of Armenian origin.

    The group is scheduled to fly to Istanbul on October 25, and will return to the United States later this week.

    PRESS OFFICE

    Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

    630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016

    Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558

    E-mail: publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org

    Website: www.armenianchurch-ed.net