Azerbaijan, Baku/ Trend , corr. S. Ilhamgizi/ Hussein Avni Karslioglu has said today that Armenian anxiety concerning the reconstruction of Akhtamar Church situated nearby the Van Lake yields to no logic.
He expressed an opinion concerning the statements of the Armenian mass media that the restoration of Akhtamar Church was allegedly an attempt to wipe all steps of Armenians from there, The Turkish Ambassador said that Turkey had always respectfully and carefully treated the past and its ancient history, and preserved it as it was. " Turkey does care about which nations built ancient monuments situated on its territory, and whom they belong to. There are monuments in Turkey built by Georgians, Armenians, Arabs, Greeks, and representatives of other nations. But all of them are the subject of our history. Contrary to different claims made by Armenians, the Turks are proud of their ancient history. The monuments belong to non-Muslims, churches, synagogues have always reconstructed at the expense of the Turkish State," said the Ambassador.
The Turkish diplomat added that representatives of the Armenian nation destroyed tens of ancient monuments on the territory of Azerbaijan in 1918, as well as during the Karabakh War battles in early 1990s.