Armenian officials to be invited on opening ceremony of St Cross Church in AkdamarMarch 1, 2007 - 18:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Opening of the St Cross Church in Akdamar will be a gesture to Armenians and the whole world, Yusuf Halacoglu, head of the Turkish Historical Society stated. "We don't have anything to hide. I shall be present on the ceremony," he said. Armenian officials, leaders and culture ministers from European countries will be invited to the opening of the church, The New Anatolian reports. The opening ceremony will be held not April 11, as was scheduled before, but April 15. The opening of the church located on Akdamar Island was delayed until April 24 by the Culture Ministry, but under the pressure of Turkish-Armenian community and Constantinople Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan the ceremony was changed to an earlier date. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |