ISTANBUL
Turkey's Assyrian community will build a new church in the Yesilkoy neighborhood of Bakirkoy district in Istanbul, an area close to Ataturk Airport, prime ministry officials said on Friday.
The decision came during a meeting of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with representatives of non-Muslim minority communities at the prime ministry's office in Istanbul, known as the Dolmabahce Palace. The state will allocate an area for the construction of the church, the officials added.
The religious representatives and the prime minister discussed these communities' issues during the meeting, where Davutoglu emphasized unity during his speech.
He said that when talking about religious communities, they were evaluated as if they were affiliated to another country. "All [representatives] are equal and real citizens of the Republic of Turkey," he said.
Davutoglu also invited the religious leaders for a New Year's meal at the prime ministry's office.
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