Patriarch Sahak II prays for restoration of Armenian-Turkish ties

Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak II accompanied a Christian congregation to a religious service at the Armenian cathedral of the Holy Cross on Aghtamar Island in the Turkish province of Van on Sunday.

Sahak II said that, along with prayers for global peace and brotherhood among people, they had “a special prayer” this year “for the restoration of Türkiye-Armenia ties.”

“People living in these lands deserve peace. We ask God for His blessing,” the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper quoted him as saying after the service.

According to the report, Sahak II was accompanied by Armenian faithful from Armenia, Türkiye, the United States, Europe and Iran. Bishop Mesrob Parsamyan, primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, led the religious service.