Akhtamar Church to Reopen on April 11th

This piece of news is sure to surprise you:

Akhtamar Church, situated on Akhtamar Island on Van Lake near the eastern Turkish city of Van, will be opened on April 11th, Turkish news agencies reported. The church was renovated with the cooperation of Van Governor's Office and Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey.

Earlier reports from Turkey suggested that Turkish authorities planned to open it on April 24 when Armenians across the globe will be marking the 92-nd anniversary of the 1915 genocide, but they revised this decision after complaints...

I must say that this is an honorable act on the part of Turkey, as long as the history of the church, its people, and so on is not distorted. Then again, this magnificent church will most likely be used to promote Turkey's version of history and generate revenues for Turkey, as well. Oh, not to mention serve as a token with which Turkey hopes to show its softer side, in hopes of influencing the all-important EU for membership.

I did some more research and discovered that an organization known as Landmarks Foundation initiated the restoration. Regardless, Turkey helped quite a bit in the process:

In April 2005, in a move that surprised all, the Ministry of Culture in Turkey allotted a generous 1.9 Million dollars for the stabilization and conservation of the Church. The contract was given to prominent local Kurdish contractor, Cahit Zeydanli. "Armenian architects were consulted to ensure that Akhtamar's reconstruction meets international standards,"

It disturbs me slightly that the job was given to a Kurdish contractor. Perhaps Turkey's idea of killing two birds with one stone?

EDIT: A reader of Armenia Blog has sent in a link which shows that this restoration is not complete and faithful and is most likely meant to satisfy the agenda I've outlined above. Shameful. Here's the link.

Source: ArmenPress