Old Turkish-Armenian bridge to become peace passage?

Projects for a historical bridge that is expected to connect the two sides of the Ani ruins between Turkey and Armenia are being accelerated. International Council of Monuments and Sites Chairman Gagik Gyurjian says the bridge should become a peace passage between the two countries. Others, however, say the project’s goals should be more international.

Despite almost negligible progress in the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia, cultural representatives from both countries have been quietly restoring shared heritage important to both.

“We can collaborate with non-governmental organizations away from the shadow of politics. We do not need to wait for the opening of borders for a peace passage,” chairman of the International Council of Monuments and Sites Gagik Gyurjian recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Both Turkish and Armenian experts have been focusing on restoration to the ruins of the ancient city of Ani, situated on the Armenian border in the eastern province of Kars, and work on the Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Armenian Church on Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van.

The two countries should now focus on converting the ruined historic bridge at Ani into a peace passage joining Turkey and Armenia, the former Armenian Culture Minister said, adding that he was ready to start working with Turkish officials and nongovernmental organizations as soon as possible to realize the project.

In spite of political tensions, Turkey has announced plans to open the historical Surp Haç (Holy Cross) Armenian Church on Akdamar Island in eastern Turkey for prayer once a year.

Scheduled to open for a service on Sept. 12, the church, whose restoration work was finished in 2007, is still the subject of controversy because no cross has yet been affixed to the top of the chapel.

Gyurjian, who represented Armenia during the church’s restoration process, said he believes the cross will be put in its place before the church service.

“There was no debate about the cross before or during the restoration process. Now, a short time before the opening, news wondering whether the cross would be put on or not has begun to appear. The event has gained a political dimension, otherwise the cross would have been in its place in the opening.”

As for the decision that the church will open for prayer once a year, Gyurjian said: “Prayers should not have been limited. This approach is not sincere.”

The leader of the Armenian committee in Turkey, Aram Ateşyan, told the Turkish press last week that having the church open for services only once a year was insufficient. “I leave the matter of the holy cross to the consideration of our prime minister.”


Turks and Armenians working in tandem

When asked about the common view that Turkey had made a leap in recent years toward the restoration of Armenian churches within Anatolia, Gyurjian said: “Our cultural artifacts have been destroyed up until this point and our traces have been denied. They are Armenian cultural artifacts, but they now form part of the richness of Turkey.”

Discussing the collaboration of Turkish and Armenian experts on restoring the Ani ruins and the Surp Haç Church, Gyurjian said: “Some of the ruins are in Turkey and the other part is in Armenia. It should be protected as a whole. Both Turkey and Armenia are members of UNESCO, so our responsibilities are the same.”

Although Gyrujian is determined to create a peace bridge between the two countries, Armenian Monuments Awareness Project President Richard Ney said the bridge should become an international world peace passage rather than just a link between Turkey and Armenia.

“The protection of the region around Ani is important because of the role the area played historically. As a fulcrum of the Silk Road, Ani was more than a capital for Armenia,” he said.

“It was also a center of international trade and a city of peace. In its heyday, Arabs and Europeans, Christians and Muslims lived in peace and prosperity. Ani was truly an international city,” he said.


/Hurriyet Daily News/