The foundation of a new mosque has been laid in the village of Yukari Bakracli, 10 kilometers of Van. The local residents want the well-known Armenian monastery Varagavank to be renovated in their village, and the mosque beside it has to be pulled down.

The head of the village community said that he was initially against the villagers’ demands. However, the Religious Affairs Department informed him that the mosque could, if necessary, be pulled down.

The new mosque will be completed in 2012, after which the old one will be pulled down.

A NEWS.am correspondent talked to the local imam Mehmet Choban. He said that the renovation of Varagavank requires the displacement of the mosque, which is now in front of the monastery.

“We addressed a relevant letter. The Van authorities and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture approved the renovation program. The renovation work at the church will start next year,” Choban said. He said that full-scale renovation is planned, similar to that at the church on Akhtamar Island.