WORKING GROUP SET UP TO DRAW UP KARABAKH CONSTITUTION

Mediamax news agency
3 Jun 04

Yerevan, 3 June: The first sitting of the new composition of the
constitutional commission of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR)
was held in Stepanakert (Xankandi) today.

According to a Mediamax correspondent in Stepanakert, NKR President
Arkadiy Gukasyan told the sitting that “life dictates the urgent need
to adopt the NKR constitution”. According to Gukasyan, the adoption
of the constitution will become another important step in establishing
the NKR’s statehood.

Gukasyan said that the delay in the elaboration of the NKR constitution
could be explained by a number of objective domestic and foreign
policy reasons, including with regard to the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

“We cannot wait forever until Azerbaijan deigns to start a direct
dialogue with Nagornyy Karabakh for a political settlement to the
problem. The NKR should develop in line with the norms of a modern
democratic society where the supremacy of the law is a must,”
Gukasyan said.

He said that there were all opportunities in the republic today to
prepare and adopt the NKR constitution.

At Gukasyan’s proposal, the sitting made a decision to establish
a working group to elaborate a draft NKR constitution. The NKR
presidential adviser for state and legal issues, Armen Zalinyan,
was appointed head of the group. He was instructed to submit a list
of the working group members to the constitutional commission for
consideration.