Healthcare minister becomes first post-revolution Cabinet member to meet Armenian community of Turkey

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan has been hosted on February 15th at the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Torosyan had a meeting with the Armenian community of Istanbul.

During the meeting Torosyan said that the Diaspora cannot survive without its motherland. He attached great importance to the Armenian community in Turkey.

“The Armenian community here is a little bit more disconnected from Armenia. It is very important for us that the way of thinking as if Armenia is weak and needs money gets changed. It needs to develop and enrich those people who will want to develop it. No longer are we poor, no longer are we weak, we need to develop thanks to the Armenians living in and out of Armenia,” Torosyan said.

He also pointed out the fact that he is the first Cabinet member of the incumbent government of Armenia to visit Turkey. Torosyan said it is an honor for him.

“Lately abrupt positive changes are taking place in Armenia, and the final chord happened – the adoption of the government’s action plan. Me and my colleagues must [head into] the work that we have promised the Armenian people,” he said.

Torosyan is visiting Turkey for a World Health Organization conference in Istanbul.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan