Armenian Patriarch Vicar of Constantinople Aram Ateshyan awarded Mayor of Diyarbakir Osman Baydemir with “Tigran Mets” golden medal for his support to renovation works of Surb Giragos church in Turkey.

The 30-member Armenian delegation headed by Ateshyan conducted a liturgy at the church. Later they met with Mayor of Diyarbakir and awarded him with Tigran Mets medal, Firat agency reports.

“I believe Diyarbakir is the city of Armenians, Assyrians, Muslims and Kurds. Unfortunately, our Armenian and Assyrian brothers faced a tragedy here. We denounce these events,” Baydemir stressed.

Baydemir gave Aram Astehsyan a souvenir depicting Surb Giragos church.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, at the meeting with Armenian and Turkish journalists a month ago, Mayor of Diyarbakir said a monument to Armenian Genocide should be erected in Diyarbakir and Turkish President should lay flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan.

Later the delegation members met with Mayor of Suri Abdullah Demirbas and awarded him with “Tigran Mets” medal for preservation of Armenian culture in the city.