The Armenian community is the biggest in Turkey, so the Turkish authorities are trying their best to destroy it, an Armenian expert said.

“That’s why they don’t want the Constantinople Patriarchate to have an initiative personality at the post,” Ruben Melkonyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

At that, he pointed out to several key problems faced by the Armenian community.

“The number of Armenian schools is decreasing year by year. Only 17 out of 32 schools operate at present, with a total number of 3000 students. The country has 42 Armenian churches, but some have closed down because of not having pastors,” he stressed.

The expert also touched upon the problems of mixed marriages (40%) and Armenian language.

“About 90% of Istanbul Armenians speak Turkish, with only 7-10% young people speaking Armenian,” he noted.

“In 1920, there were 250-300 thousand Armenian Christians in Turkey. Today their number has reduced to 50-60 thousand. If such tendency persists, we’ll face a serious problem in a couple of years. The community is now in need of an active religious leader,” Melkonyan said.

According to him, there are now 3 candidates running for the post of joint patriarch: primate of AAC Gugark Eparchy, Archbishop Sepuh Chuldjyan, Bishop Garegin Bekchinyan, and Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, with the latter having more chances for victory. Ateshyan has already had met with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan.

The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople also known as Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul is the head of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental Orthodox Church.

It recognizes the primacy of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, in the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia, in matters that pertain to the worldwide Armenian Church. In local matters, the Patriarchal See is autonomous.