July 1, 2008 - 19:12 AMT
Turkish President isn't empowered to decide himself whether to visit Armenia or not
Armenia's President made a brave step by inviting Turkish President Gul to Yerevan, Khosrov Harutyunyan, head of Christian Democratic Union of Armenia, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Contacts, specifically at the level of heads of state, are essential for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations," he said.

"As to President Sargsyan's statement on possibility of formation of an Armenian-Turkish commission, I wonder why no one quotes the statement up to the end. The President said 'formation of a commission after opening of the border'. We all know that the fact of the Armenian Genocide will not vanish with formation of new commissions. Moreover, new details may be revealed," Harutyunyan said.

"President of Turkey depends on his party and allies in NATO and the U.S. He can't take decisions independently," said the head of Christian Democratic Union of Armenia," he added.

During a recent meeting with representatives of the Armenian community of Moscow, President Sargsyan said he will take steps for normalizing relations with Turkey. "I will probably invite Turkish President to Yerevan to attend the match between our soccer teams," he said.