(ANKARA) According to Turkish Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Ismet Yilmaz, some 50,000 Armenians from the RoA travel to Turkey to look for work every year. He said that the ministry does not keep figures on the number of tourists entering Turkey which annually receives 26 million vacationers, ranking it third in the world. Mr. Yilmaz stated that if the border were to be opened with Armenia, many of these would also travel to Armenia. "The opening of the border would establish a road to peace. Our two peoples are very much alike. After the border is open we will see exactly how much alike we are," he stated in a conversation with "Hetq". He added that the border opening would also spur collaboration in the cultural fields of film-making, the theatre and arts. "We must hasten the day when our two peoples can sing the song "Sari Gelin" (Fair-haired Maiden) together". "Just as they teach in Armenia how many Armenians were killed by Turks, they teach in Turkey how many Turks were killed by Armenians. The two sides of the story must be heard," said the deputy minister. He said that in war everything is possible but that we must do all possible to see that our children grow up in peace. Mr. Yilmaz said he still didn’t know when a cross would be placed atop the Holy Cross Armenian Church located on the island of Akhtamar in Lake Van. Yesterday, at a meeting in the ministry,he told a group of visiting reporters from Armenia that the preservation of cultural values of minorities in Turkey was high on his list of priorities. "We feel that these objects are ours. In other words, just as they are ours, they are yours as well. They belong to all peoples. The preservation of all cultural monuments in Turkey is our job," declared Deputy Minister Yilmaz.