The chairman of Iraq’s National Religious Council Sheikh Yusif Al-Nasri said Turkey must apologize to Armenians “for their actions” referring to the Armenian Genocide, which he had condemned during a meeting Monday with Armenia’s Ambassador to Iraq Hrachya Poladyan.

In discussing the Armenian Genocide issue, Al-Nasri strongly condemned “the inhuman crime committed in the Ottoman Empire,” before urging Turkish authorities to apologize for “their own generation.”

Al-Nasri was accompanied by members of Iraq’s Standing Committee on Coexistence and Communal Peace, a government body dedicated to advancing relations with the various ethnic and religious communities in the country.

The Muslim spiritual leaders briefed Poladyan on their efforts aimed at strengthening cooperation between religious and national minorities of Iraq, emphasizing the invaluable role of the Armenian community of Iraq and the Iraqi diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, especially in during the war and its aftermath.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the spiritual leaders conveyed their greetings and well wishes to the His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, stressing the Iraqi government’s commitment to religious and national minorities. They also highlighted the need to develop joint initiatives to advance the needs of the multi-ethnic and multi-faith population of Iraq.