PACE rapporteur on cultural heritage welcomes opening of Agdamar ChurchMarch 27, 2007 - 14:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Eddie O'Hara (United Kingdom), rapporteur on the cultural heritage in the South Caucasus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has welcomed the announcement of the opening on 29 March the Holly Cross Armenian Church on Agdamar island (Lake Van, Turkey) following extensive restoration funded by the Turkish Ministry of Culture. "The involvement of the Turkish Government, the Armenian Church authorities, experts from Turkish and international universities and local contractors is an outstanding example of how cooperation can help to save the rich cultural heritage of this region," Mr. O'Hara said. E. O'Hara is due to make a study visit to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to find ways of taking cultural heritage out of the conflicts and to identify common strategies for its protection. "The Agdamar Church restoration shows precisely what we should hope to achieve throughout the region. We hope the Armenian authorities will be able to participate in the opening," the PACE rapporteur said, the Informational Center of the Council of Europe reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |