Yerevan /Mediamax/. A group of Turkish intellectuals, among them academics, journalists and artists have released a statement condemning what they define as expressions that include “open hatred and hostility” towards Armenians in Turkish schoolbooks.

As Turkish Zaman daily newspaper writes, Turkish Agos and Taraf newspapers recently published reports on hateful remarks targeting Armenians in the textbooks used in history classes.

A letter accompanying the text of the condemnation, written by historian Taner Akçam and signed by over 50 Turkish intellectuals notes that including such expressions as lesson material to teach children is a disgrace.

The signees said textbooks in schools should seek to encourage feelings of peace, solidarity and living together over inciting hatred towards different religious and cultural groups.

“Standing with integrity in the face of history is the prerequisite for establishing the future on the foundations of friendship and peace. I do hope that this signature campaign will be taken as a scream from all of us for the publication of textbooks that we would like to see,” Taner Akçam wrote.

The intellectuals urge in the letter to immediately collect the history textbooks with an apology issued to everyone and particularly to Armenian students.

“This is where the path to Turkish-Armenian peace lies, at this time when we are approaching 2015,” the letter reads.

The signatories include some of Turkey's most respected intellectuals, among them Orhan Pamuk, Baskın Oran, Cengiz Aktar, Daron Acemoğlu, Fatih Akın, etc.