VISIT TO THE ISTANBUL GOVERNOR

At noon on Monday, 5 July 2010, the Deputy General Patriarch, Archbishop Aram Atesyan, paid a courtesy visit to Huseyin Avni Mutlu, the Governor of Istanbul.

Archbishop Aram congratulated Governor Mutlu on his new assignment and recalled that they had met on a visit to Diyarbakir to look at the restoration work for the Diyarbakir Holy Giragos Church.

Governor Mutlu first of all expressed his gratitude for this congratulatory visit, and he in turn congratulated Archbishop Aram on his election as Deputy General of the Patriarch. During their meeting, which lasted about half an hour, Governor Mutlu asked about our community, and he praised the Armenian community's contributions to the development of the country. He especially stressed that the Armenian community, which deserves its appellation of "the loyal people," is an inseparable part of our country. He also declared that in Istanbul, citizens of different religions and backgrounds live together peacefully. Governor Mutlu hoped that the Armenian community felt happy to be continuing its existence through its religious, cultural, social, and educational institutions.

Archbishop Aram Atesyan emphasized that all members of the Armenian community were citizens of the Republic of Turkey, and he said that each one of them acted in this consciousness and did what they could for the development of the country.

Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu sent his love and wishes for well-being to the Armenian community through Archbishop Aram.