ISTANBUL

The Armenian Patriarch in Turkey Mesrob Mutafyan passed away in Istanbul on Friday, according to hospital sources. 

The top religious leader of the Christian Armenians in Turkey died at age 62 in an Armenian hospital where he was receiving treatment in Zeytinburnu district.

Bedros Sirinoglu, the head of the Armenian Foundations Union and the Board of Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital, expressed his condolences to the Armenian community in a statement.

Sirinoglu said the funeral details will be announced soon.

"I offer my condolences to Patriarch Mutafyan’s family, relatives and all our Armenian citizens," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter in Turkish and Armenian languages.

*Writing by Beyza Binnur Donmez