Huge Armenian Presence on September 19 Could Have Nullified Turkish “Show” The parking lot on the shore of Lake Van for visitors planning to take a ferry boat to the island of Akhtamar was half empty when our minivan pulled in around 9 on the morning of September 19.

Van is an overwhelming Kurdish town. Only 10% of the city’s 350,000 or so residents are ethnic Turks. The outlying villages are totally Kurdish. It appears, however, that many of today’s Kurdish residents are also newcomers, mainly having migrated from more southern regions in the past 60-70 years. In our brief conversations with local Kurds I was struck by the fact that they all repeated the same line, as if it was scripted. They would tell us that they apologized for the actions of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers and that the younger generation held no animosity towards the Armenians who many labelled the original inhabitants of the land. Was this too part of the "show" – a ploy to lull Armenians into a false sense of security or a sincere desire to come to grips with their past? A noticeable Turkish police presence was directing traffic and urging visitors to immediately make their way to the waiting boats that would take them on the 30 minute ride to Akhtamar. Our group of ten journalists from Armenia, visiting Turkey under the auspices of the “Turkish-Armenian Dialogue Program” organized and financed by the Hrank Dink Foundation, made its way through the stalls of local vendors selling tourist trinkets. I was a bit apprehensive as to what awaited us on the island looming in the blue waters on Van. A tourist pamphlet touting the attractions of Van that was available at the town’s few hotels, describes Van as “a remnant of the Urartians who are the Kurds’ ancestors.” I guess this means that Armenians and Kurds are cousins, or something like that. Luckily, as regards to Akhtamar or “Akdamar” (the Turkified version), the brochure does mention that the Holy Cross Cathedral was built in the 10th century and that it served as the seat of the Akhtamar Catholicosate until 1895. Naturally, there is no mention as to why it closed or why the Armenian Christians in the district suddenly disappeared. I didn’t know what to make of the following passage in the brochure on the recent history of Van dealing with the period of WWI. “The city of Van and its people suffered great damages and losses during the conflicts in WWI. The population of 70,000 decreased to 10-15,000 after the war. Due to the occupations and unjust doings in WWI, the city became a ruin. A new city was built in another place.” The ferry boats plying visitors to the island were full, each carrying about 80 passengers. Taking our seats, I overheard conversations in Turkish and Armenian, mostly the western dialect. Armenians from Istanbul and former residents of the city who now live in various countries of Europe, America and far-off Australia, seemed to be in the majority. Making our way off the boat, we were greeted by a tourist sign only mentioning that the cathedral was the work of one Manuel an Armenian architect, who built the religious complex for Gagik, the king of Vaspurakan. That’s the extent of its official Armenian identity as displayed. The rocky 300 foot path leading up to the cathedral was lined with bushes of rosehips (masour) and I was told that the local Kurds also use this medicinal plant as Armenians do. Reaching the cathedral, there were huge screens in place to broadcast the religious service to take place inside. The interior of the cathedral can only accommodate a limited number of visitors at one time. Music blarred from loudspeakers and many sought refuge from the intense heat under tent canopies placed outside. Making my way around to the cathedral entrance I caught sight of the “controversial” cross displayed on a stone pedestal. People were milling about, waiting to have their picture taken with the huge black iron cross. A friend of mine from Yerevan, who had talked with a representative from the Van Governor’s office, said the cross would be placed atop the dome in the next month or two. The official version of why the cross couldn’t be placed there for the September 19 religious service states that when the church was undergoing renovations for the 2007 official opening as a museum no one foresaw that a cross would ever be placed atop the dome. The entire dome structure would have to be reopened for the huge cross to be properly placed there. The Van government representative assured my friend that Armenian architectural experts from Istanbul had been called in to appraise the situation and they too had agreed with this evaluation. Surprisingly, two days before, our group was in Ankara and met with Ismet Yilmiz, Deputy Assistant to the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism. Mr. Yilmiz assured us that Turkey was keen on preserving the country’s rich historical and cultural legacy and that all was being done in this respect, even though the expenses are huge given the huge number of sites needed attention. In a pleasant but officious manner, Mr. Yilmiz attempted to evade questions about the cross issue by stating that “Akdamar” was the jewel of Armenian architecture and that where the cross was located on the island was of secondary importance. He added that the Ministry wasn’t concerned that a majority of the Armenians planning to visit Akhtamar had pulled out over the issue. In a somewhat mocking tone, Mr. Yilmiz noted that Turkey welcomes over 20 million tourists a year. The official stressed that the Akhtamar project was a step in the right direction, urging us to compare the situation today with the fact that there has been no religious services on the island for the past 95 years. As to the reasons why, he said that this was an issue for discussion by historical experts. We asked him about his views on the possible opening of the Turkish-Armenian border and wouldn’t such a move by Ankara further foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, which his ministry was allegedly so keen to promote. At this point, he raised the Karabakh issue and noted that “it was the Turkish people who see that 20% of Azerbaijan is occupied by Armenian forces.” Yes, the border will one day open, but the Karabakh issue remains a sticking point and the Turkish government foreign policy must take the views of the Turkish population into account. This was a view also presented to us when we met with Selim Yener, Assistant to the Advisor of the Turkish Foreign Minister. Mr. Yener also stated that while Ankara is following a “No Problem” regional policy it must take into account Turkish public sentiment when it comes to normalizing relations with Armenia. He confessed that Baku had exerted tremendous pressure on Ankara not to ratify the Protocols without progress on the Karabakh front. It would seem, then, that no progress on normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan can be realistically expected before elections take place in Turkey in the summer of next year. Perhaps this is why it is unfortunate that not more Armenians from the RoA failed to show up at Akhtamar. There was a crying need for a huge Armenian presence on the island on that historic day. The stance taken by the Holy See of Etchmiadzin not to participate is understandable. There were promises made that weren’t fulfilled. But there was little reason for Armenians, from the RoA and elsewhere, not to make their presence known. The Turkish media was out in full force and representatives of the local and regional Turkish authorities were at Akhtamar as well. What a unique opportunity for Armenians to forcefully express their concerns about the cross and more importantly about the eventual return of Akhtamar Cathedral and other remaining Armenian cultural and historical sites to their rightful owners. The local newspaper, the Van Times, ran a special edition in Armenian, headlined "Welcome Armenian" for the occasion. The paper even carried a one page map detailing Armenian churches in the Van area and their condition today. I got the impression that most Turkish officials, at least the local ones, are just not familiar with the pre-1915 presence that Armenians had in Van. Then too many hold uninformed beliefs regarding Armenian culture. Another friend told me that they had met with a representative of the Van Chamber of Commerce and had shown him a copy of the above paper. The official, upon seeing the Armenian script, asked if it was true that the Armenians had adopted their alphabet from the Russians. Such is the pervading level of misinformation. September 19, was also a unique opportunity for Armenians from all over the world to gather and met each other; to talk to one another about what Akhtamar symbolizes to them as Armenians. Who knows how long it will before a similar opportunity comes about? I had the chance to meet Armenians from the north Caucasus, France, America, Germany and Turkey. I spoke with Armenians from the province of Moush and Sassoun who had driven the 250 kilometres to Akhtamar because they felt the overwhelming need to be there on that day. These are Armenians who daily struggle to maintain their identity despite tremendous hardships and pressures to remain “silent”. There was a man from Moush who told me he had wanted to bring his 14 year-old son to Akhtamar but decided against it. It was too dangerous he said. News that the boy had visited Akhtamar would lead to his being ostracized at school by his Muslim classmates. How nice it would have been for these “forgotten” Armenians to have been greeted by thousands of fellow Armenians and not the few hundred that showed up. What a spiritual and emotional boost it would have been for them. Before we parted, the man pulled me aside, telling me to convey the following simple message "to our cousins in Karabakh". He said that they should stand strong and not give in to those demands concessions on Karabakh’s freedom. "Tell them that the road of compromise leads to further disaster down the road. Tell them that our people in Turkey are with them in spirit. Tell them not to let what happened here happen to them." Some so-called Armenian nationalists and their political parties argued against going to Akhtamar since they didn’t want to participate in a staged event or “show” staged by the Turkish government. I share their concerns but, in the end, decided that when one takes the larger picture into context, that day demanded a huge and forceful Armenian presence willing and bold enough to take advantage of each opportunity that presents itself, however distasteful they may seem. Certain political parties may spout fiery nationalist rhetoric every April 24th, demanding the return of “Our Lands”, but they do precious little in practical terms when it comes to actually explaining what those lands represent. Couldn’t they have taken just a bit of the money they spend on lobbying and organizing April 24th marches to send a group of young people to Akhtamar? What an educational and emotional experience it would have been for them. They would have seen the true picture of the situation of those “lands” today. They too would have met with Armenians from around the world at Van, the crossroad of western and eastern Armenia. They would have seen the faces of true patriots – those Armenians still clinging to their roots and homes in Moush and Sassoun. They would have seen the twenty of so devout women from Armenia who prayed for hours at the side entrance to the cathedral, never leaving their post. Their humble prayers that day more than filled the gap created by the absence of official Etchmiadzin. And believe me these women made more of an impression of the local Turkish police and Turkish media than any priest could ever have. By their presence there that day, these few faithful told the world that Akhtamar belonged to them and by extension the Armenian people. How grand would it have been if their number wasn’t twenty but two hundred, two thousand? How symbolic would it have been for not just 60-70 Armenians from Armenia to have been there that day, but 600 or 700? To say that we in Armenia also claim Akhtamar as our own and that we have not forgotten that which belongs to us on the other side of the border. We are told that 40% or so of those residing in the Republic of Armenia can trace their roots to western Armenia; from Van, Erzeroum, Moush, Kars, Bitlis and countless forgotten villages. I would have liked to have seen just a few of them at Akhtamar on that day. I am sure that many would have liked to have been there as well. Surely, if Ankara reopened the border, these Armenians could make the trip to the land of their ancestors all the more practical and affordable. Akhtamar awaits their return. Hopefully, one day soon, it will greet them as an Armenian Church with a cross atop its dome. September 19th was an opportunity for Armenians to make these demands abundantly clear to the world and to official Ankara. I conveyed these sentiments and my other concerns regarding Turkish-Armenian relations during an interview with CNN Turk television. Imagine the image conveyed if not 1,000 but 5,000 or more Armenians filled the camera lens of the CNN Turk reporter. The message would have been that the Armenians have returned and they are demanding what is rightfully theirs; they are demanding an end to decades of Turkish state denial of the truth.