Bendery, 23 August. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. A delegation of the Turkish culture ministry concluded a two-day visit to Pridnestrovie. Its members met Pavel Prokudin and examined the Bendery Fortress, which was the main purpose of the visit.
The head of the state commission for the Bendery Fortress development, Pavel Prokudin, said that projects to reconstruct the fortress had been discussed with Turkey for a long time. However, until recently the legislation of this country has prevented the financing of cultural projects abroad.
«Now the ministry of culture has the opportunity to finance culture heritage sites that are outside Turkey. Alongside this delegation, others work in Belgorod, Macedonia and Jordan. This is the landing party which is now laying the groundwork for future joint action. As for the museum, funds will be allocated for the reconstruction of the Bendery Fortress this year," he said.
The museum actually was the subject of close attention by the Turkish delegation. Architects, constructors and engineers have carefully inspected the fortress itself and the museum, whose exposition concerning the Ottoman period will be extended.
«Creating the museum, we proceeded from the exhibits we had at our disposal. We had a wide range of Swedish artefacts and nearly no Turkish. This should be improved. Now we have many artefacts which are impossible to exhibit as it requires special conditions to preserve them and keep under reliable security. We need more showcases, storage conditions; we are currently discussing how to do it correctly," noted Pavel Prokudin.
«The Bendery Fortress is our common historical monument. When we return to Turkey, our specialists will prepare a report and a draft project to start joint works in the fortress. At this stage, works will begin in the museum, but this is just the beginning. Our experts have examined the fortress's outer walls and requested the necessary documents. They will analyse everything; all these works will be carried out in stages," added the 2nd secretary of the Turkish embassy to Moldova, Jozgen Akay, stressing that «our country attaches great importance to the historic monuments left behind by the Ottoman Empire.»
Meanwhile, it is the walls of the fortress that are its weakest point. It is they that need restoration most of all and require the most extensive funds that the government does not have.
«The most pressing issue is the preservation of walls and the lower fortress, which is in deplorable condition. All the works which are carried out in the fortress have been funded by tourists in the past six years. A few years ago, we found a sponsor who has raised the tower of the lower fortress, but these are isolated cases. It is clear that the state has no funds today for a large-scale reconstruction," said Prokudin.
He also noted that over the past few years restorers had been redressing the mistakes of recent years caused by the wrong materials used during the fortress’s reconstruction in the mid-2000s.
