ISTANBUL (Marmara)–Istanbul Patriarch Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan led a delegation of Patriarchate leaders to Ankara Wednesday and met with newly elected Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and other leaders to congratulate the formation of a new government and address issues of concern to the Turkish-Armenian community.
Mutafyan met with Ecevit–Yildirim Akbulut and former prime minister Mesut Yilmaz.
Yilmaz specifically inquired about the progress of the Armenian hospital in Istanbul and expressed satisfaction with the involvement of Armenia’s in Istanbul city government.
Mutafyan stressed that the community had certain issues and problems which have required solutions for a long time. He presented Ecevit with a six-page dossier on the issues of concern to the community.
After studying the issues–Ecevit pledged that he would address those issues–the solution to which did not foresee special constitutional circumstances or obstacles.
Ecevit asked about the number of Armenia’s living in Ankara and expressed satisfaction at the fact that more than 2,500 Armenia’s lived in the capital.
The patriarch and his delegation addressed the issue of building churches and schools–as well as ownership of such lands.
