A delegation of prominent members of the American-Armenian community will arrive in Turkey on Friday in an unprecedented visit to various religious sites throughout the country.
The 25-member delegation, which includes influential businessmen and religious figures from America’s 1.2 million strong Armenian community, will embark on a six-day tour of key religious sites in İstanbul, Diyarbakir and Van. The visit comes after the completion of restoration work on the 15th-century Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakir province, one of the largest churches in the Middle East and a historic center of Turkey’s once thriving Armenian population. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and other high level members of the American-Armenian diocese will participate in the church’s reopening which is slated for Oct. 23. The delegation also plans to attend a ceremony at the recently restored Armenian church on Akdamar Island in the province of Van.
The visit is a sign of increasing good will between Turkey’s ruling government and minority religious communities, said Oscar Tatosian, chairman of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Armenian Church, in an interview with the Zaman daily earlier this week. Tatosian, who told Zaman he was a businessman who has frequently traveled to Turkey over the past 25 years, remarked that the visit was in the spirit of “peace, cooperation and economic opportunity.”
“As Americans, what is important for us is to develop trade ties and for Turkey to be a friend to Armenia,” he added. Tatosian also thanked the Turkish government for its warmness and courtesy during the planning stages of the visit.
Today’s Zaman – Ali H. Aslan
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