PACE & the Draft Resolution on Constitutional Reform in Armenia

18:10:47 23-06-2005 Politics PACE SUMMER SESSION
A1plus News From Armenia
PACE RATIFIED DRAFT RESOLUTION ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN ARMENIA

Today PACE discussed and ratified the draft resolution on constitutional reform in Armenia adopted by the PACE Monitoring Committee.

PACE rejected two out of the three proposals. One referred to the Armenian state borders submitted by the Turkish delegation. The second said, “In case the referendum fails PACE will make appropriate conclusions during the January session in 2006.” [...].

{The 3rd one accepted is} “The Parliamentary Assembly calls upon the Armenian leadership and the parliamentary majority to hold the referendum no later than November, 2005 and secure the reform effectiveness within reasonable terms and as soon as possible.”

---

20:28:56 23-06-2005 Politics PACE SUMMER SESSION
A1plus News From Armenia
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.
[...]

---

Published: 6/23/2005
Turkish Press
Mercan: Armenia Must Recognize Its Border With Turkey

STRASBOURG - Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) Turkish Delegation Chairman and Justice & Development Party (AKP) deputy from Eskisehir Murat Mercan has indicated today that ''Armenia must recognize its border with Turkey.''

The constitution in (Eastern) Armenia clearly indicates that (Eastern) Armenia does not have territorial issues with Turkey. Western Armenia is a historical fact. I speak Western Armenian and my origins are from Western Armenia. My great grand parents escaped an earlier massacre in 1896 by Sultan Abdul Hamid where 200,000 Western Armenians were massacred. What used to be the Armenian Millet in the Ottoman empire is Western Armenia. That part was extinguished by the 1915 Genocide. It is amazing the degree of ignorance by the Turkish politicians of their own history of that period. They want to believe. It is the proverbial situation of "Let me believe and don't confuse me with facts" as shown below.

Mercan brought up the part of the Armenian constitution that talks about ''west Armenia'' openly calling and demanding for territory from Turkey. ''While Armenia wishes for international laws and good neighborhood, it refuses to recognize its border with Turkey,'' said Mercan.

[...]

Note: Above are excerpts from articles that appear here, here and here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.