My heartfelt condolences to the descendants of the Ottoman Armenians who perished: Erdoğan to the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, sent a letter to the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, on the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This was reported by Ermenihaber.am.

Below is the complete Armenian translation of the letter:

“Dear Patriarch Sahak Mashalyan of the Armenians of Turkey,

Dear valuable members of the Armenian community,

I greet you with love and respect. During these difficult days that we are going through together with the entire world, solidarity among our citizens continues to grow even stronger. I pray to the Almighty that we reach the coming day closer to each other, imbued with feelings of unity and togetherness.

I respectfully remember the Ottoman Armenians who died during the harsh conditions of the First World War, which caused great pain to the peoples of the world, and I extend my sincere condolences to their descendants. I ask for Allah's mercy for all Ottoman citizens who perished during that period.

Under no circumstances did we allow and will not allow any of our citizens to be treated poorly because of their faith or identity. Our common goal is to draw strength from the past for the sake of friendship and the highest human ideals and to build the future together.

It is evident to all of us the circles that wish to derive enmity from history, ignoring our unity that springs from the depths of Anatolia. Our most important desire is not to give opportunities to those circles pursuing other objectives, especially since we want to build a future filled with unity, prosperity, and peace.

With these thoughts, I once again respectfully remember our lost Ottoman Armenians in the First World War. I wish you all prosperity.”