PRESS RELEASE

Att. Luiz Bakar
Patriarchate Press Spokesperson
Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970
F: +90 (212) 516-4833
GSM:+90 (533) 516-2212
E-mail: patrikhane@teklan.com.tr

A news item concerning the status of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey
appeared in the 20 May 2004 edition of the Cumhuriyet daily newspaper.

In the aforementioned news item it was stated that the Foreign Ministry has
prepared a working paper for the “election and duties of the Patriarch” and
that the Interior Ministry had also offered certain responses to this paper.
We feel it necessary to notify the public that we have no new request
concerning the legal status of our Patriarchate before the Foreign or
Interior Ministry.

Again, we want to state unequivocally that we have no connection whatsoever
with the views attributed to our Patriarchate in this news item about the
study carried out by these two Ministries.

We do not believe that such news items will be of any benefit either to the
Ministries carrying out the study or to our Patriarchate. What is more, they
could impede the efforts of our Government, which desires to find solutions
to the existing difficulties.

In conclusion, the very existence of views such as those mentioned in the
news item, that the patriarchal election be conducted in the presence of a
notary public and, again, that the Interior Ministry could recommend the
deposition of the Patriarch, are damaging to the image of the Republic of
Turkey. 23 May 2004.

Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey
Press Office