U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Francis Ricciardone recently climbed to the top of Mt. Ararat, telling reporters it was a dream he longed wished to achieve.

It took Ricciardone three days to reach the 5,137 meter peak of Ararat.

Speaking about the recently launched Peace process between Kurds and the Turkish state, Ricciardone told reporters:

"Mount Agri is a legend for us. We wanted to climb Mount Agri for a long time, but we couldn't come. Thankfully, [the region] is calmer and more secure now. Hopefully it will become calmer and a great peace will come in the forthcoming days," Ricciardone said, adding that the Kurdish "resolution process had been an important factor" for taking the trip to the eastern province of Agri.

"The people [of the region] support peace. Everyone wants peace. They are very hospitable. We climbed Mount Agri for the first time. Tourists are coming with hopes related with the [resolution] process. We have been together with tourists from Japan, Italy and Germany at the mountain," Ricciardone also said, according to the AGRI - Anadolu Agency.