Armenian cemetery demolition stopped after injunction

ALL demolition work at the Armenian Cemetery near the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia has been stopped after the Ministry of the Interior took out an injunction to stop the work.

The Armenian Prelature last week started digging up graves, as part of their plans to put remains together in a new communal pit in the new Armenian Cemetery in Deftera, on the outskirts of the capital.

Bedros Kalaydjian, parliamentary representative of the Armenian community in the House of Representatives, said “the demolition was carried out by unprofessional people, which was hurtful to the memory of the deceased.”

He went on to say that the cemetery “was declared a heritage site by the Interior Ministry last June, meaning no work could be done without their permission. But the Church committee started work without having the required permit from the Ministry’s Town Planning Committee. The Church were not aware of the cemetery’s status as a heritage site and were not aware of the need to secure a permit. There was uproar in the Armenian community because demolition started without their knowledge. It is only fair and democratic that the community are kept informed of what is going on.”

A meeting took place on Wednesday evening between the Prelature, Kalaydjian and Green Party leader, George Perdikis, to discuss the matter, where the Prelature agreed to stop the work.
“I am very satisfied that work has been stopped,” said Perdikis. “The Prelature admitted that they were in the wrong and we will now keep a close eye on future developments.

“At Wednesday’s meeting, the Church Council decided to send out circulars to members of the Armenian community, inviting them to the Prelature for an open discussion on the matter in a couple of weeks,” Kalaydjian said. “Nothing further will happen until then.”

It is believed the Prelature was planning to make the land available for redevelopment after work finished, but Kalaydjian said “there is no clear future master plan. The cemetery’s future will be discussed with the public.”

The cemetery contains the remains of Armenians who lived and worked in Nicosia from the 18th century until 1931.

There are approximately 2,500 Armenians living in Cyprus, in addition to the 500 non-Cypriot Armenians that work on the island.

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