YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul Sahak Mashalyan, as well as a number of representatives of the Armenian community, commented on the normalization process of the Armenia-Turkey relations, Hurriyet reports.

“We must accept that all the steps, which will strengthen the relations of the neighbor countries with deep history both in investment and cultural terms, are valuable. It’s also important for the Istanbul-Armenians that the relations become better day by day so that both communities will know one another, will work together, make investments and that the rich cultural values on this direction will find common grounds with each other”, Mashalyan said.

“The launch of flights gave me optimism. The borders must open, the diplomatic relations must also be improved, this should be the first step. The relations must further expand”, Agos daily’s editor-in-chief Yetvart Danzikyan said.

Representative of foundations of minorities, Professor Toros Alcan, commenting on the current developments in the relations between Armenia and Turkey, said: “I consider it a positive but a belated step. It makes a lot of sense that the language of friendship is returning. I hope peace will come back. A door of a new friendship without wars will open”.