Yerevan/Mediamax/. It’s been a year that Armenia has been waiting for Turkey’s explanation regarding forfeit of St. Kirakos Church and its area in Diyarbekir.

Head of Armenian Mission to the OSCE, Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan said this while delivering a statement, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of assassination of Agos chief editor Hrant Dink, at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting.

Arman Kirakosyan observed that justice failed to find the organizers of that assassination in a whole decade, fully agreeing with the estimation of facts given by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic.

The Ambassador also shared his confidence that failure to reveal violence and assassinations, committed against journalists, public leaders and the intelligentsia, creates an environment of impunity and thus promotes intolerance in Turkey.

“Unfortunately, the attitude of silencing people, who strive for truth and justice, is still prevalent in Turkey. This is evident from suspension of Turkish MP Garo Paylan. There is information that some political parties are even trying to bring criminal charges against him, considering his words about the Armenian Genocide xenophobic,” the Ambassador noted.

Arman Kirakosyan stressed that Turkey poses as a supporter of religious tolerance in the OSCE, at the same time failing to display tolerance towards native religious minorities, some of which managed to survive and live in modern Turkey.

The Armenian Ambassador reminded the Turkish Mission that it’s been a year that Armenia has been waiting for explanation from Turkish authorities regarding forfeit of St. Kirakos Church and its area in Diyarbekir.