Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
05ISTANBUL1960 | 2005-11-16 12:45:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Consulate Istanbul |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 001960 |
1. (C) Summary: New York-based Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of the Armenian Church of America told CG November 9 Armenian Katholikos Karekin II of Echmiadzin is considering a visit to Turkey next year, adding that he had received positive reactions from both Turkish diplomats in New York and Armenian officials in Yerevan. Barsamian noted he had not raised the visit with Istanbul-based Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II. End summary. 2. (C) Visit on the horizon: Archbishop Barsamian, in town for an interfaith conference organized by the Appeal of Conscience (septel), told CG November 9 Armenian Katholikos Karekin II of Echmiadzin was contemplating a 2006 visit to Turkey. Barsamian added the visit might include tours to Ani and Akdamar Island outside Van, and indicated he had received positive reactions about the proposed trip from both Turkish diplomats in New York and Armenian officials during his recent visit to Yerevan. Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan reportedly told Barsamian he would be interested in accompanying the Katholikos. 3. (C) Not fully on board?: When CG asked about Istanbul-based Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II's views on the proposed visit, Barsamian indicated that he had not raised the visit with Mesrob, implying he did not want to intrude on his jurisdiction. He said an invitation to the Katholikos had originally come from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I after Bartholomew's 2001 visit to Armenia, not from Mesrob. Barsamian had been with Mesrob at a November 8 dinner hosted by the Appeal conference, but had not shared with Mesrob his plans to visit the U.S. Consulate to discuss the Katholikos' proposed visit. (Bio note: Barsamian suggested he had had something of a mentor relationship with Mesrob when the latter was a student in Nashville although the two were not far apart in years; his expression suggested they may have a somewhat tendentious relationship. End note.) 4. (C) Looking forward: Barsamian is upbeat about recent developments in Turkey. He said he told U.S.-based press following the September Armenian conference at Bilgi University that the conference was a positive step. "We must be looking forward, not backward," he told us, attributing his lack of bitterness to his grandmother, who maintained a focus on education and progress despite her male family members being "taken away" from their home in Malatya when she was 18. (Comment: To this CG commented that his views about the futility of a negative focus were not far from Hrant Dink's, a point with which he did not disagree. End comment.) 5. (C) Comment: A visit from the Katholikos may ruffle some nationalistic feathers here, but in light of a more open environment in 2005, we see no reason to discourage it. It will not move the ball forward on opening the border or diplomatic relations, but a successful trip could represent yet another step in the long process of breaking taboos and rebuilding relationships. End comment. JONES |