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Cyprus Press and Information Office
The works to turn the Armenian Monastery into an hotel have been stopped after intervention by the Council of Europe
KIBRIS (17.6.01) reports under banner headlines that the Armenian
Monastery Sourp Magar (Saint Magar) in occupied Halevka, in the
Kyrenia mountain range, which was leased to Dervish Sonmezler to turn
it into an hotel, has become a problem at the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, (PACE).
KIBRIS reports that the issue entered into «an impasse in Strasbourg»
and that the news that the Armenian Monastery was leased for 49 years
to Dervish Sonmezler to turn it to an hotel, created an uproar among
the members of the Armenian Lobby at the PACE.
«Following the Armenian Lobby/s complaint» reports KIBRIS, the PACE, invited the so-called Chairman of the pseudostate/s Assembly Ertugrul Hasipoglu together with a delegation to Strasbourg. At the meeting, in Strasbourg, the issue of the Armenian Monastery and the cancelling of the «contract» was discussed.
Speaking to KIBRIS regarding the meeting Hasipoglu said that he was called to Strasbourg following the complaint raised by the Cyprus government regarding the Monastery. He said that at the meeting he defended the view that «they can use the monastery as they please».
Hasipoglu further noted that the rapporteur coming from the PACE favours the restoration of the monastery. He said that he will raise the issue during the 24 June meeting.
Businessman Dervish Sonmezler on his part, said that with a permission from the so-called Council of Ministers in 1997 he leased the Monastery to turn it to a touristic establishment. However, after the meeting in Strasbourg the «lease contract» was cancelled and the restoration work was halted.
Sonmezler claimed that the issue was kept secret and no statement was made to this effect for the last two years.
Sonmezler said: «Let them allow me either to turn the monastery into
a touristic establishment or take it back».
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