Armenian Archdiocese: “We reject Turkish renovation of Tal Abyad Church for propaganda purposes”

Ein Issa – North-Press Agency

The Armenian Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo Diocese has rejected in a statement issued region Turkish media circulating of prayer ceremony at the Cross of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Tal Abyad (Gre-Spi). As the statement confirmed the Archbishop's categorical rejection of "any Turkish initiative to renovate the Church of "Cross" in the town of Tal Abyad, and hold church rites."

The Archbishop attributed the reason to considerations mentioned by saying: "Our people have a dispute with the Turkish side, regarding  the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey, which has not yet been resolved."

“Thousands of our churches in Turkey have been suffering for more than a hundred years of Turkish negligence, and they are vulnerable to destruction, while Turkey has done nothing in recent years to limit this," the Archbishop briefed the second reason.

While the third reason was that "many of our Armenian churches are also located in other Syrian areas which are under the control of the Turkish side or its affiliated armed groups, such as the churches of Ras al-Ain and al-Yaqoubiya. Thus, the special interest of the Armenian Church in Tal Abyad raise questions. "

Moreover, the Archdiocese considered Tal Abyad "an integral part of the Syrian territories, which is currently occupied by Turkey, and no rituals inside the Armenian Church will be performed, unless the town of Tal Abyad is fully liberated."

The diocese also confirmed that during the years of war, "Cross" Armenian Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Diocese and its dependents were "desecrated by many armed terrorist groups."

The Archdiocese added: "There can be no church rituals there unless it's liberated and the church is revered and its children returned. Otherwise, all that is going on there in an occupied city is considered as an infringement for purely propaganda purposes".