Turkish President Recep Erdogan said in a message to the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey Sahak Mashalyan that he honors the memory of the Armenians who died during the genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The text of the letter was published by the office of the Turkish leader.
Erdogan recalled six centuries of peaceful coexistence between Turks and Armenians. “We must not allow the culture of coexistence of Turks and Armenians to be forgotten, which has multiplied over hundreds of years and was considered an example for all mankind,” Erdogan said. He also expressed condolences to the grandchildren of the Armenians who died under “difficult conditions during the First World War.”
Erdogan called for the development of relations with Armenia on the principle of good-neighborliness and mutual respect. The Turkish President recalled that after the Karabakh crisis, he spoke to Armenia about his readiness to restore relations.
Earlier, US President Joseph Biden announced the recognition of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara rejects such a statement by Washington.