Armenian church restoration has lessons for New Zealand October 21, 2015 - 18:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An Auckland lawyer, Miriam Dean has been negotiating with church leaders of Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand and heritage campaigners to fix the impasse over the future of the badly damaged Cathedral, 3News reports. A man who wants to talk is restoration campaigner Geoffrey Rathbun. He's so passionate he funded his own trip to see a wrecked church in Gyumri, Armenia. It was badly damaged in an earthquake more than 27 years ago, wrecked worse than the Christchurch Cathedral, and restoration on it is almost complete. "The people of that city had a very strong connection with that cathedral like we do," Mr Rathbun says. "The Church wanted to restore it and they had a lack of money, but they had the determination to get the money and follow through to build it." Rathbun is now back from Armenia armed with letters from the town's bishop and mayor supporting a restoration. He plans to present them to Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and church officials. The Prime Minister, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and others have been lobbied by Christchurch citizens concerned the mess in the square is holding back the city. The Government has asked Dean to have it sorted by Christmas, and Rathbun won't be happy with anything less than a restoration.  Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency.   Partner news |  Related sections Latest news Protesters rally as Georgia debates 'foreign agent' bill  Georgian critics label the bill "the Russian law", comparing it to legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.Former Pashinyan envoy urges end to Genocide speculation Marukyan has urged authorities in Armenia stop discussions about verifying the names of 1.5 million victims.Azerbaijan, Jordan sign deal on defense cooperation Azerbaijan and Jordan have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to an official statement.First Canadian expert join EU mission in Armenia The first Canadian expert to join the European Union’s civilian mission in Armenia has arrived in Armenia. |
