Russian Patriarch welcomes Armenia-Turkey rapprochement

 Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan should not be "hostages" of their tragic past, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill said Thursday. He was speaking in the Yerevan state university in the capital of Armenia. "Yesterday we held a divine service in the memory of victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915.  It is very important that Armenians remember that tragedy but now these memories should not hamper the development of relations between Armenia and Turkey", he said. The Patriarch welcomed the recent steps taken by Armenia and Turkey to improve their relations.