An Armenian-language guidebook to Van was published in Turkey. The reopening of Surb Khach church on Akhtamar Island for services once a year, contributed to inflow of tourists to the region, Asbarez reports, referring to Hurriyet.

The guidebook was published in Armenian, Kurdish and Persian. The translations into Armenian were done by the employees of the Agos weekly.

However, the book was met with skepticism among Armenians, the source says.

“The content of the book, rather than the language in which it was printed, is what matters. If the handbook still ignores traces of Armenian civilization and its cultural wealth in line with Turkey’s official ideology, it does not matter at all what language it was published in. Respect for history comes first,” the source quotes Gagik Gyurjian, the former Armenian vice- minister of culture.