Prime Minister of Armenia visits Armenian Surb Astvatsatsin Church  and Blue Mosque in Istanbul

ArmInfo. As part of his visit to Turkey, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Armenian Surb Astvatsatsin Church (Holy Mother of God Church - ed.) and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.  As reported by the press service of the Prime Minister, Pashinyan was accompanied by  chairman of the Church Council Hrant Maskafyan, vice chairman Minas Arslan and the director of the Armenian school at the church, Klotia Temir.

During the visit, the Prime Minister toured the church grounds, lit candles and learned about the living conditions of the local community. Pashinyan also visited a preschool and an Armenian school, where he studied on the spot the educational programs and community  initiatives. According to Turkish sources,  the Patriarchate of Constantinople had announced its closure to Pashinyan during his visit to Istanbul.

 It is worth noting that Sahak Mashalyan, Armenian Patriarch of the Constantinople Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,  was out of the country at the time. The Prime Minister visited the Armenian church accompanied by a minister from the Armenian Catholic Church.