Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç was seen he came together with religious leaders of minority groups in a breakfast in March.

As the nation prepares to vote for a constitutional amendment package in a referendum on Sept. 12, non-Muslim minorities in Turkey are inclined to say “yes” to the reforms, which are expected to improve Turkish democracy. They generally feel that more changes are necessary, however, to more fully democratize the country.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has taken major steps to save the country from its current Constitution, which was drafted under martial law after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup. Like many civil society groups, non-Muslim minorities have widely expressed the view that the proposed constitutional changes don't go far enough but still represent a considerable step in the right direction.

According to Ara Koçunyan, editor-in-chief of the Armenian daily Jamanak, published in İstanbul, non-Muslim minorities will benefit from the proposed government reforms. “The referendum means that there will even more changes to come,” he told Today's Zaman. Koçunyan also added that the Turkish-Armenian community is going to vote with the grander vision of further changes in mind. “The members of the Armenian-Turkish community approach the issue with great awareness of citizenship. They are aware of the process of change in Turkey, and supporting that kind of a process is natural for minorities,” he said.

Search: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-217509-101-non-muslim-minorities-inclined-to-say-yes-in-referendum.html