Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey expresses support for Afrin operation

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s Armenian Patriarchate has expressed support for the Turkish military’s operation in Syria’s Afrin district, which is currently being controlled by the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

“We wish the Turkish Armed Forces success in ‘Operation Olive Branch,’” the Istanbul-based patriarchate said in a written statement on Jan. 22.

“We pray for the end of terrorist activities and the establishment of peace and common sense in the region,” the statement added.

Moris Levi, the deputy leader of the Turkish Jewish community and a representative of the religious community foundations in Turkey, also expressed support for the operation in a tweet on Jan. 21.

“As the community foundations, we wish success to our armed forces in ‘Operation Olive Branch,’ and wish that common sense, peace, constructive cooperation, and peace will prevail in our region and in the world,” he said.

“The community foundations, the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate and the Turkish Jewish Community are standing by our army. We thank them all,” Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on his Twitter account on Jan. 23.

Kalın added that unity was “Turkey’s biggest strength.”

Turkey on Jan. 20 launched “Operation Olive Branch” to remove the YPG militia from Afrin.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and in the region.