Turkish government resorted to tricks to attract more Armenians to AkhtamarSeptember 20, 2010 - 16:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan said that the liturgy in Holy Cross church and the processes that preceded and followed it have proved that Turkish propaganda ended in fiasco. “Besides, it is a collapse for the economy of Van,” Melkonyan told a press conference in Yerevan. According to him, Turkish businessmen were promised to benefit from the visit of thousands of Armenians, but this has not come true. The Armenian expert added that about 700-800 Armenians participated in the liturgy against 4,000-5,000 reported by Turkish media. Melkonyan noted that the Turkish government resorted to tricks to increase the number of participants, sending invitations to various Armenian organizations on behalf of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “I also received a similar invitation, but has not replied to it,” he said. “The liturgy has stirred up heirs of forcibly Islamized Armenians during the Armenian Genocide. 100 people from Mush visited Holly Cross Church on September 20 and admitted being the heirs of Islamized Armenians,” Melkonyan said. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |