Turkey's meddling in election "may lead to end of Armenian Patriarchate"December 10, 2019 - 12:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Interior Ministry's meddling in the election of a new Armenian Patriarch may lead to the end of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate, Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has said. The Ministry has set the condition that candidates must be based in Turkey, sparking criticisms by many, seeing it as an interference in the spiritual functioning of the patriarchate. The legal condition decreased the number of candidates from 12 to just two who meet the requirement. The election will therefore be between two Istanbul-based Armenian clergymen, Aram Atesyan and Sahak Mashalyan. “This restriction may lead to the end of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate, because we may find no candidate in the next elections,” Paylan said, according to Arab News. Paylan considered the attempt an intervention into the Armenian community’s own religious freedoms. “It is totally unjust. Religion requires conscience and justice,” he said. During previous patriarch elections in Turkey, many Armenian clerics from around the world could have attended. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |