Turkish-Armenian ruling party lawmaker laid to rest
A Turkish-Armenian ruling party lawmaker has been laid to rest following a ceremony in the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul, which was attended by Turkey’s president
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Turkish-Armenian ruling party lawmaker was laid to rest Thursday following a ceremony in the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul which was attended by Turkey’s president.
Markar Esayan, 51, died on Oct. 16 after battling stomach cancer. He was a former journalist and a politician, serving as a lawmaker of the ruling Justice and Development Party from 2015 until his death.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sahak Mashalian, the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul, called Esayan a “bridge” between the Armenian and Turkish communities.
Mashalian thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for attending the funeral of his party’s lawmaker.
“Your sharing of our pain in an Armenian church during these heated days of the Karabakh conflict contains meaningful messages,” he said, referring to renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey supports Azerbaijan in the hostilities and has vowed to provide troops for the fighting if Baku requests them.
Last week, Erdogan tweeted his condolences: "We will never forget his contributions to our country’s politics and democracy.”