YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Istanbul’s Armenian patriarchal locum tenens, Bishop Sahak Mashalian and Bedros Şirinoğlu, chairman of the board of trustees of the Holy Savior Armenian Hospital of Istanbul, Agos reported.

Erdogan was interested in the organization process of the election of an Armenian Patriarch, and in response Bishop Mashalian said they are waiting for the government to release the rules of procedure.

Erdogan required information from the Turkish interior minister on the matter. Minister Suleyman Soylu said the government will release the rules of procedure within a week.

Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafian died on March 8, 2019, at the age of 84. After which Bishop Mashalian was elected patriarchal locum tenens.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan