I am not seeing anything positive in the current rumpus, and I do not understand why a group with a genuine interest in preserving Armenia's monuments would be agitating for the Armenian Church to do it. In the immediate post-Soviet period the Ministry of Culture of Armenia gave away hundreds of churches to the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, and in 2004 another 150 churches were given. Many of them were subsequently virtually destroyed as historic monuments when the Armenian Church rebuilt them in order to bring them to a state where they could be returned to use as active churches. Not a single monument under Church control is safe from arbitrary reconstruction projects that are planned in secret and that break all the rules of conservation. Unfortunately, the Armenian Church has no concept of allowing an ancient church to just remain as a ruined historic monument. However, why should the Church be responsible for the preservation of non-functioning churches or monasteries? These monuments should always have remained the within legal, technical, and financial responsibility of the Ministry of Culture. The wholesale transfer of ownership was a disaster for the preservation of Armenia's heritage of medieval churches. Let the Armenian Church build as many new churches as it wants, but it should return the medieval ones to State ownership with their conservation undertaken by Armenia's Ministry of Culture and done to international standards.

I wouldn't believe what either one says.

Meantime, Turkey is using its propaganda machine to renovate more churches and restore Armenian dwellings in historic Armenia. Can we take care of our own historic monuments which are also a tourist attraction and revenue for the country? Is it not enough that we destroyed historic section of Yerevan now we also let national cultural heritage fall to pieces? The emphasis the country has put on the NEW (and in bad taste) while disregarding the old is appalling. Generations fought to preserve it and now country leaders with no national cultural awareness don't give a damn. Something must change fast if we as a people are to maintain a historic cultural awareness. School children don;t go to visit these sites any more as field trips are not promoted. Many young citizens are not even aware what riches Armenia has. Patriotism is taught and experienced. Our ignorant and uneducated oligarchs being lay people or clergymen are not a role model for our youth.