The acting patriarch of Turkish Armenians said on Tuesday that troublesome days of the past should be left aside.
Aram Atesyan said that he was sorry to hear the word "minority", and Turkish and Armenian peoples had lived together on these territories for centuries as members of two different religions and communities.
"Even though some circles have caused disturbance in this country, it is time that we left them aside and return to good old days," Atesyan said as he met Mehmet Gormez, the chairperson of Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate, in Ankara.
This is Atesyan's first official visit to the Religious Affairs Directorate.
"Today, during the rule of this government, we see that there is nothing like minority. There is no Armenian, Greek Orthodox or Syriac people, but there are the children of these soils," Atesyan said.
Also speaking in the meeting, Gormez said the Religious Affairs Directorate had always wished to have good relations with communities in Turkey.
"We are the children of a common civilization, history and culture that embraced different religions, cultures and civilizations in peace on these territories even in days when it was too difficult for different identities to co-exist in the world," Gormez said.
AA
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