Falsification of historical facts around Tigran Honents church of Ani by Turkey

Addressed to the Ministry of Culture &Tourism of Turkey, to UNESCO, to UN, to European Heritage Convention

Committee & worldwide intelligence: this policy of Turkey about the falsification of historical facts & incomplete reconstruction of the Tigran Honents church of Ani thrusts a wedge into the culture & friendship of neighboring countries. Being historically Armenian capital & residence for various nations, Ani remains an Armenian landscape, which is documented in historical information & our present lithography. The 17 frescoes of the church contain images that depict the torments of the first patriarch & the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Gregory the Illuminator, that are the vivid proves of the church's national & religious belonging. Announcing that Ani is a historic area of cultural diversity, Turkey deviates the international community from our main demands; & thus creates an environment of cancelling them. But we are particularly concerned by the fact, that while being reconstructed, the church has been proclaimed as Chalcedonic & thus this is escalating disputes & conflicts in Georgian – Armenian age-old friendship. 

We demand from the Turkish responsible institutions of the sector that they:

• avoid proclamations about the historical belongings of the church
• add “Armenian Christian church” name into the sign put nearby the church
• finish & not to abridge the church dome construction & announce the process & objectives for further work.
• avoid escalating cultural conflicts between Armenia & Georgia. The issue has received wide public attention because of the sign installed nearby the church that presents the church as Georgian Chalcedonic.

We are confident that our Georgian brothers have a friendly approach to this issue & are ready for reinstating historic justice that can be reached through professional & public debate and dialogue. 

We live in a region where any problem can be solved through dialogue if we just face them.

The Sculpture National Park – Museum

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