Zaman Online, Turkey
April 16 2005
Turkish Armenians Condemn American Priest
By Zaman
The Turkish Armenian Patriachate has condemned Washington Armenian
Orthodox Church Representative Father Vertanes Kalayjian, for his
insult to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in a
meeting last week in the US.
The Patriarchate issued a written statement and Press Spokespersin
Luiz Bakar said regarding the subject that they are stunned by
Kalayjian’s remark about Ataturk, “Kemal was also a butcher.” A
clergyman who utters these words cannot be the member of the Turkish
Armenian congregation and the person has no link with the
Patriarchate or the Church scolded Bakar. He concluded that these
kinds of remarks does not help for Turkish-Armenian dialogue.