Ankara hopes that the Turkish and Armenian peoples will be able to establish relations, Turkey’s National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has announced, Aydinlik newspaper reported.

"Turkey maintains the belief that the Turkish and Armenian peoples, who have lived in an atmosphere of tolerance and peace for centuries, will be able to establish relations within the framework of friendship and cooperation," said Akar.

Speaking about the events that took place in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, the Turkish defense minister recall that the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "declared, at any opportunity and on any platform, that Ankara is open to the work of objective committees that historians shall form."

"We once again repeat our call on this issue. Armenia, like Turkey, must open its archives for international historians, accept the results, and not worry on this occasion. However, there has been no response [from Armenia] to this proposal [by Turkey] so far," the Turkish defense minister added.