Assyrians living in France hold a religious service in their village in Şırnak after many years
A group of 100 Assyrians who traveled from France to Şırnak visited the village of Aksu in the Silopi district, which their elders were forced to abandon due to attacks carried out by the PKK terrorist organization in the 1990s, and held a religious service.
AA
A group of 100 Assyrians living in France arrived at the village of Aksu, where their families once lived. The group visited the cemeteries there, sang hymns, and prayed.
After a meal shared together, they toured the village and reminisced about memories.
"WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE"
Sabri Anar, who was appointed as the Bishop of the Mar Petyun Chaldean Church in Diyarbakır, told reporters that they were visiting the village after more than 30 years.
Stating that many clergymen had come from the village, Anar said, "We are very happy to be here today. We would like to thank our government and our security forces for enabling this visit. Thanks to them, we were able to carry out this visit with a group of 100 people from France."
George Yaramış, who lives in France, also stated that he was happy to have come to the lands where his family once lived.
İlhan Yavaş expressed that their village had always lived in their hearts, saying, "Because we are the children of this place. For thousands of years, our ancestors lived on these lands. We hope to continue coming and going from now on to keep those memories alive."
Aksu village headman Pitrus Karatay stated that they were happy to host the guests from France in their village and expressed his hope that this visit would be a beginning.