WATERTOWN, Mass. — On Sunday, January 24, the Friends of Hrant Dink organization marked the third anniversary of the assassination of Dink, the Turkish-Armenian editor of Agos newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey, with a memorial luncheon after church services in which prayers were offered for him at St. James Armenian Church.
After the Requiem service, the Association hosted a fellowship Hour at the church hall, during which, Dr. Taner Akçam, director of the Armenian Studies program at Clark University and a friend of Hrant Dink, said the following: “During one of my meetings with Hrant, I told him that he should be appointed the Honorary Ambassador of Turkey in Armenia, when the border opens. He replied by saying that he is really doing the ambassador’s job by introducing the Armenian Genocide to the Turkish people and convincing Armenians to have relations with the Turks.”
Akçam then said when and if the borders of Armenia and Turkey are opened, the gate of the first crossing should be named Hrant Dink Gate.
At the end spoke the president of the Association, Harry Parsekian, who was present in Istanbul in front of the Agos newspaper building on January 19, during the third anniversary rally that took place that day and the son of Hrant, Arad Dink spoke from the balcony to the crowd.
