Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that they believe that the places of worship all over Anatolia are a sign of respect and fraternity, and said, “As the religious service will take place tomorrow at the Surp Giragos Armenian Church, this structure, which is the target of terrorism, will be opened for worship again. I would like to state that we share the excitement.” said.
Minister Ersoy attended the opening ceremony of the Surp Giragos Armenian Church, which was damaged in the attacks carried out by PKK terrorists in 2015 in Diyarbakır's Sur district, and was restored under the control of the General Directorate of Foundations with the funds provided by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ersoy said that Diyarbakir is one of the ancient cities of the country, which has hosted different cultures and beliefs, and is the cradle of civilizations.
“We are talking about a very strong city with its history, culture, art, natural beauties and architecture. But one of the most important features of Diyarbakır is its deep tolerance, which is immediately felt in its streets and squares.” Ersoy said that Diyarbakir is an ancient city where tolerance, brotherhood and different cultures live together in peace.
Pointing out that Diyarbakir is one step ahead of the cities that are accepted as the most important historical cities of the world today with all these features it has, Ersoy said, “Today, many cities known as historical cities, visited by millions of tourists, especially in Europe, are as powerful as Diyarbakir. has no history. These cities do not contain as many different cultures as Diyarbakir. Today, when we talk about the history of Diyarbakır, we are almost talking about the history of humanity. Having such an ancient city is a great wealth for our country. What we need to do now is to make every effort to make this wealth a universal value.” he said.
“We Have to Make Efforts to Introduce This Ancient City”
“When people around the world want to visit a historical city, we must ensure that Diyarbakir is one of the first cities that come to mind. We expect everyone who loves Diyarbakir, who cares about the welfare of the people of Diyarbakir, and who wants the children of Diyarbakir to look to the future with confidence, to unite in line with this common goal and to act together without hiding behind any excuses. We have to do our best to make Diyarbakır one of the centers of culture, art and faith tourism, to manage its tourism potential effectively and to promote this ancient city all over the world.” Ersoy said, "With the work carried out in harmony by the central government and local governments, very valuable works have been realized in Diyarbakir.
Ersoy congratulated those who contributed to the works for both the present and the future of the city.
“We Believe that Places of Worship Are Signs of Respect and Brotherhood Among Us”
Pointing out that Diyarbakir, where different cultures and beliefs live together in peace and can worship freely, is home to many precious structures, Ersoy emphasized that Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches have an important place among these structures.
Ersoy continued his words as follows:
“Unfortunately, these two structures, which are among the important treasures of our cultural heritage, were targeted and destroyed by terrorist groups who wanted to overshadow the peace and tranquility of the city in the past years. We believe that the places of worship all over Anatolia are a sign of respect and brotherhood among us. We should not forget that; As important as respecting places of worship and beliefs is their protection, and we see this as our own responsibility as well. The restorations of the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches, which we opened today, were carried out within the framework of this sense of responsibility. In this context, I would like to express that we share the excitement of the church community because the ceremony will take place tomorrow in the Surp Giragos Armenian church and this structure, which has been the target of terrorism, will be opened for worship again.”
Noting that this building, which is the largest Armenian Gregorian church in the Middle East, is an important building not only for the citizens of the city but also for the world cultural heritage, Ersoy said that the restoration of the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches cost approximately 32 million liras.
Expressing that he believes these restorations are a very meaningful work for the protection of cultural heritage, Ersoy thanked the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and especially the Minister Murat Kurum for their support to these works carried out under the control of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Foundations.
Stating that it is not enough to just restore these structures, Ersoy said, “The important thing is that we need to ensure that these structures survive and add these structures to the cultural richness and cultural diversity of Diyarbakır in a conceptual way.” said.
“We want to include Diyarbakir after Istanbul and Ankara in the Culture Road Festivals”
Ersoy reminded that as of the end of May, “Cultural Road Festivals will start in various parts of Anatolia and said:
“We started with the Beyoğlu Culture Road festival in Istanbul. On May 28, we are expanding the festival chain by including Başkent Kültür Yolu, namely Ankara. In the meeting we held with our local administrations, Governor and NGOs during my visit last week, we decided to add Diyarbakır to the link of the chain in autumn. As of October 1-16, we would like to include Diyarbakır, after İstanbul and Ankara, in the Cultural Road Festivals. I especially ask our Armenian community to take part in this festival with a nice event. We will provide the support they need, both in terms of financing and organization. The important thing is that we reflect this cultural richness and diversity of Diyarbakır to both Diyarbakır and Turkey. That's why I think we can make a good start with our church here again.”
Minister Ersoy wished that this building, which they will inaugurate, would contribute to the country's faith and cultural heritage.
Sur District Governor and Deputy Mayor Abdullah Çiftçi, Foundations General Manager Burhan Ersoy, AK Party Diyarbakır MPs Mehdi Eker, Ebubekir Bal and Oya Eronat, CHP Istanbul Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Armenians from abroad and from different provinces of Turkey attended the opening ceremony.
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