The President of the İskenderun/Alexandretta Karasun Manuk Church Foundation, Yusuf Tabaş, and Fr. Avedis Tabaşyan, the clergy member responsible for the churches of Hatay and the spiritual overseer of Armenian communities in Anatolia, visited Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Sahak Maşalyan at his summer residence on Kınalıada, Istanbul. The Foundation's administration reported that during the meeting they were informed that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism would provide 5 million Turkish lira (TL) in financial assistance for the church's restoration.
The Church was among the buildings damaged in the earthquakes that struck Marash and Hatay on 6 February 2023. The Foundation subsequently applied to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for support to repair the church.
During the visit to Patriarch Maşalyan on Tuesday, 23 June, İskenderun Church Foundation President Yusuf Tabaş stated that the Ministry had notified the Foundation that it would receive 5 million TL to support the church's restoration, and that once the necessary permits were completed as quickly as possible, restoration work would begin.
Tabaş also explained during the meeting that completing the restoration projects would require a budget more than ten times greater than the amount allocated. Patriarch Maşalyan welcomed the state's willingness to help initiate the process despite its limited resources and pledged to provide every possible form of support to secure additional contributions from other community foundations, philanthropists, and international funding sources. He also recommended preparing a public presentation explaining the restoration projects in greater detail so that they could be communicated more effectively to the public and potential donors in the search for additional financial support.
