The election of the patriarch is one of the major problems of the Armenian community in Istanbul. The issues has not yet been settled, and the community remains “beheaded,” Ruben Melkonyan, a specialists in Turkic studies, told reporters.

According to him, the Armenian community “being beheaded” plays into the Turkish authorities’ hands, and they are doing best to protract the election of the co-patriarch. Melkonyan pointed out that the situation may only change if a person able to breathe new life into the Armenian community wins the elections to the Constantinople Patriarchate.

“Judging by words and deeds, the Head of the Gughark diocese Sepuh is the happiest candidate. As regards the two other candidates, Aram Ateshyan is a Turkish citizen and will never have the courage to speak of the community’s problems. Garegin Bekchyan is hardly known to anybody in Istanbul,” Melkonyan said.

Responding to NEWS.am’s question concerning the possibility of victory of Sepuh, who is not well known in Istanbul either, Melkonyan said that the Turkish authorities are arranging the election for the easily controllable Aram Ateshyan to win.

He also reported that many of the 42 Armenian churches in Turkey are not working because they have no leaders.

T.P.