The Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church raised the issue of the restoration of Armenian churches in Turkey during a meeting with Erdogan

Archbishop Sahak (Mashalyan), Patriarch of Constantinople of the Armenian Apostolic Church, discussed issues related to the country’s Armenian community during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including the restoration of two historic churches—the Church of the Holy Forty Infants in Iskenderun and the Church of St. Sarkis in Diyarbakır. This was reported bySputnik, citing the press service of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

According to the report, the meeting took place on June 8, 2026, at the working residence of Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. Also in attendance were Sevan Syavajoglu, a member of parliament from the Justice and Development Party; Minister of Justice Akin Gürlek; and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. During the conversation, issues of interest to the Armenian community in Turkey were discussed, and Patriarch Sahak II, on behalf of the community, expressed gratitude to the Turkish president for his attention to the community’s needs.

According to the source, special attention was given to the condition of church monuments. The 16th-century Church of St. Sarkis in Diyarbakır has been in ruins since 1915 and is considered an important registered cultural and historical site in the city. Restoration work on this site began in 2024. The Church of the Holy Forty Infants in Iskenderun, located in the Hatay province in southeastern Turkey, was built in 1872.

Thus, the meeting in Istanbul served as a forum for discussing not only current issues facing the Armenian community in Turkey but also the preservation of its religious and cultural heritage.