Turkish Media Presented Bedros Şirinoğlu as Head of Armenian Community

On March 26, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to meet with Bedros Şirinoğlu, Board of Trustee President of Surb Brkich Hospital in Istanbul and an outstanding wealthy representative of the Armenian community.

According to Turkish daily Sabah, the meeting will take place on Şirinoğlu’s initiative.

Other Turkish media sources draw attention to the fact that Erdoğan is going to meet Şirinoğlu after his notorius statement about the possibility of deporting Armenian migrants working illegally in Turkey.

Interestingly, Turkish TV channel TRT presented Şirinoğlu as the head of the Armenian community in Istanbul, which is not true, as there is only a spiritual leader of Armenians in Istanbul: Mesrob Archbishop Mutafian.

An Istanbul-based Armenian websource HayTert has issued a release on the matter.

“Today Turkish TV channels broadcast that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will welcome Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of Turkey’s Armenian community and the President of Trustee’s Board of the Armenian hospital. The Armenian community in Turkey does not have a head. The institution of having a community leader has been developed in the Jewish community, but neither Armenians nor Greeks have a community leader,” reads the release.