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| 20:28:56 | 23-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION |

WESTERN ARMENIA – ON TURKEY’S TERRITORY

The majority of the 15 delegates, who registered for delivering speeches at
the debate on constitutional reform in Armenia, were Azeris and Turks.

Member of Turkish delegation Murat Mercan turned the discussion of the
constitutional reform into the debate on the Armenian-Turkish relations and
the fate of Western Armenia. `Western Armenia has nothing to do with
Armenia, it is on Turkey’s territory. This fact should be fixed in the
Armenian constitution and the Armenian state borders should be drawn
according to international agreements.’

In response head of the Armenian delegation Tigran Torosyan said that the
fact that western Armenia is on the territory of Turkey presently proves
that the Armenian Genocide was perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire, that is on
the territory of today’s Turkey.

Reminding that the Genocide issue has nothing in common with the
constitutional amendments Tigran Torosyan said, `I hope that in 2006 we will
congratulate each other with the successful completion of constitutional
reform corresponding to all democratic standards.’