A mayor from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish “Peace and Democracy Party” (BDP) is invited to the “President’s Culture and Art Grand Award” ceremony, which will be held at the Presidential Palace of Turkey.     

President Abdullah Gul invited Abdullah Demirbas, Mayor of the City of Sur of Diyarbakir Province, to the event that will be held on Tuesday, Milliyet daily of Turkey reports.   

Demirbas has published several Armenian tales in Armenian and in Turkish. In addition, and at Demirbas’ initiative, the Diyarbakir travel guide was published in Armenian. Furthermore, “Welcome” is written in Armenian on the signs that are placed on the roads entering Diyarbakir.    

In September 2013, the Mayor of Sur apologized, on behalf of the Kurds, to the Armenians and the Assyrians, for the massacre and the deportation.    

“We will continue our struggle until we achieve compensation,” Abdullah Demirbas had stated.