  Winners of Hay Aspet program address letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, complaining of Turkish policemen’s behavior September 15, 2010 - 18:43 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - Winners of Hay Aspet program addressed a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing behavior of Turkish policemen on Akhtamar Island. “Arriving at Akhtamar, we experienced the rude and crude attitude of the Turkish policemen. Just before the eyes of many tourists from different corners of the world, the police pulled us out from the church, like being scared of our prayer. We even were deprived of the opportunity to light a candle as we usually do in the Armenian Apostolic Church. That happened only few weeks before September 19, when your government is set to allow serving an Armenian liturgy as a showoff to the whole world,” reads the letter sent to the Turkish Prime Minister. “The policemen not only prevented us from praying in the church, but also stamped on the smoking incense,” founder of Hay Aspet (the Armenian Knight) intellectual game Karin Tonoyan told a press conference on September 15. “We fail to understand how the police of a country, governed by a religious man like you, can impede Christian children to pray, why those policemen got nervous and used force onto youngsters,” reads the letter. Karin Tonoyan urged all those, who want to arrive on Akhtamar Island to be present at the liturgy, to ignore the event, thus, protecting the Armenian religion and belief. She added that on September 19 hundreds of Hay Aspets (Armenian Knights) will light candles around the big cross on Aragats mountain to protest against the show of the Turkish government in Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island. “I do not think that Recep Tayyip Erdogan will reply to our letter, but if we receive an official answer, it will be a respectable act,” said Karin Tonoyan, adding that the official letter has been delivered also to the embassies of EU member countries, as well as the EU leadership.   Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
