September 22, 2008 - 17:39 AMT
Sargsyan: have you ever heard an Armenian official demanding territory from Turkey?
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said it would be better to form diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia prior to the establishment of any commission, Milliyet Daily reported.

"I generally said that I was not against the establishment of commissions between the two countries... First, let our joint border be opened and diplomatic relations constituted, then we can establish commissions, sub-commissions and sub-sub-commissions for any issue," the daily quoted Sargsyan as saying.

"In fact, if you remember a similar commission to this was formed in the past with the efforts of the United States and this commission concluded genocide had taken place. What happened then? Has something changed? Did anybody accept it? No. Nobody accepted," he said.

Sargsyan also denied that they were making territorial demands from Turkey.

"I am surprised by the territorial demand claim. I do not know but it is a common opinion. But have you ever heard an Armenian official saying, "We are demanding territory from Turkey." In no way has such a statement ever been made," he said.