Let’s Read Carefully Before Cursing: H. Karapetyan on Bishop Mashalian’s Interview

The press secretary of Yerevan Mayor Hakob Karapetyan has commented on Bishop Sahak Mashalian’s interview with "Sabah."

“Let’s read carefully a couple of times before cursing what the newly elected Patriarch of Constantinople, Bishop Sahak Mashalian, said (the emphasis is mine):

“As Armenians, we are saddened that the suffering that occurred in these lands 100 years ago is being used by foreign parliaments as a tool for strategic, economic, and political pressure... Mashalian expressed hope that the Turkish PEOPLE themselves will be able to resolve THIS ISSUE and that Turkey and Armenia will be able to improve relations. 'When both sides cannot speak, the third parties, the fourth parties, those who are abroad, claim the right to speak,' said the Patriarch. 'We need to solve all these issues. BUT AS LONG AS IT IS BEING EXPLOITED, it is used as a lever to exert pressure on Turkey.'”

The Patriarch of Constantinople cannot speak in terms of a conditional ally, cannot speak from the positions of Armenian nationalism, otherwise, he simply would not be a Patriarch. In the interview with "Sabah," the person almost literally tells the Turkish government: solve your issues with the Armenians, recognize the genocide, do not allow third countries to use this against you for their own interests.”