Hosting journalists coming to Diyarbakýr within the scope of the project of Improving Turkey- Armenia Dialogue, Metropolitan Mayor Osman Baydemir said; “There are many Armenian people from Diyarbakýr who live in different parts of the world. The latch string is always out, I hope they will return here one day”.

Diyarbakýr Metropolitan Mayor Osman Baydemir hosted 23 journalists and academicians coming to Diyarbakýr within the context of the Project which is organized by Istanbul Kültür University Global Political Tendencies Center with Internews Armenia and Erivan Press Club.

Expressing that the Diyarbakir city government had two separate councils of Muslims and Christians in 1850’s, Baydemir pointed out that the city was managed by these two councils together. Baydemir, noting that great pains were suffered and the geography lost its great values as a result of wrong policies, said the followings; “The Armenians, Ezidis, Assyrians, Chaldeans were forced to emigrate. They lived great pains but we have lost”.

Remarking that the city is governed with a consciousness that protects the differences, Baydemir told about their doings such as the arrangement of the Christian Cemetery, restoration of the Armenian Church and the opening of Aram Tigran City Conservatory. Upon a question about the Armenian population in Diyarbakir, Baydemir said; “The number of Armenian families is unfortunately too low to be proportioned”.

On questions about the elections, Baydemir said; “Actually, we still haven’t gone into the election atmosphere in a process where still people are dying. We have just held the funeral of four citizens who lost their lives as a result of a military operation a few days ago”. Expressing that the BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) supports the independent candidates due to the 10 percent election threshold, Baydemir noted that the party supports the independent candidates paying regard to the women and differences.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil