The Van Times newspaper will publish stories in Armenian. Presently, the newspaper has Turkish, Kurdish, Persian and English articles, Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review reports. Armenian page will be prepared by journalists from Armenian Diaspora in U.S., the editorial team of bilingual Agos daily and the Van Times.

According to the newspaper owner and chief editor Aziz Aykac, this initiative will mark reopening of Surb Khach church on Akhtamar Island for religious services.

“We published a notification asking our readers to open their doors to our guests from Armenia and we received 1,700 applications in a week. The figure is increasing every day,” Aykac told Hurriyet Daily News.