Prominent Turkish journalist, analyst, and editor Mehmet Ali Birand is in very critical condition following his surgery on Wednesday.  

Birand’s heart had stopped during the operation, but the doctors were able to restart it, Milliyet daily of Turkey reports. 

Turkish media disseminated news that he had died, but his son informed that his father is in very critical condition.

To note, Mehmet Ali Birand is known for his active campaigning for normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations. Also, he visited Armenia and met with several senior Armenian officials. 

And in an interview around two months ago, Birand had noted: “Sometimes they say I am Armenian, but I am not Armenian. [But] If I were an Armenian, I would have been proud of that.”