Armenian patriarch urges foreign countries not to turn 1915 events into political tool

"We are saddened to see that some countries use suffering and sacred memory of our ancestors as a tool for everyday political purposes," said Patriarch of Turkish Armenians Sahak Mashalian, Report informs.

Commenting on the events of 1915, the cleric said that they would continue to defend peace, friendship, and brotherhood between Turks and Armenians: "Our late patriarchs also did the same. We will see the events of 106 years ago as a bitter exception to our thousand-year-old common history and encourage the rebuilding of our relationship based on neighborliness and profit.

Turkey and Armenia are neighbors. With God's help, I believe that Turkish-Armenian relations based on brotherhood and mutual respect will be strengthened. We look forward to establishing relations between the Turkish and Armenian authorities. "