He welcomes the Pope to Turkey and hopes to talk to him, Agca told the Turkish news agency DHA after a visit to the historic Church of St Sophia in ancient Nicaea, which is now a mosque.
Agca had fired several shots at Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) in St Peter's Square in 1981 , critically injuring him.
The Pope survived and later forgave the assassin. Agca spent 19 years in prison in Italy; he was then transferred to Turkey to serve a sentence for the murder of a Turkish journalist. He was released from prison in 2010.
In the interview, Agca defended the incumbent pope against conspiracy theories circulating among Turkish nationalists that the Vatican is planning to recapture Nicaea. "These are stupid and ignorant conspiracy theories," said the 67-year-old. "The Pope is only coming to profess his faith."
Hopes for a personal dialogue
Turkey must seek an alliance with the Vatican, Mr Agca advised.
After his release from prison 15 years ago, the right-wing extremist hitman claimed, among many other things, to have received the order for the assassination attempt on John Paul II from the Vatican.
However, the background to the crime was never clarified.
The Turkish police have been checking the personal details of all visitors and passers-by in the city and on the access roads for days ahead of the Pope's visit to Iznik.
Agca did not reveal in the interview whether he was in Iznik with the knowledge and authorisation of the authorities. "I hope that I can sit down with him here in Iznik or in Istanbul for a few minutes to talk," he said.