ArmenPress
Aug 5 2004

SECRETARY GENERAL OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE REGRETTED ABOUT ELECTIONS IN
NAGORNO KARABAKH

STRASBOURG, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS: Referring to the previous call
by Council of Europe leaders to refrain from staging one-sided “local
self-government elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh, Walter Schwimmer,
Secretary General of the 45-nation Council of Europe, regretted that
elections would again be held in the province on 8 August 2004.
“One-sided actions are counter-productive. The future status of
Nagorno-Karabakh must be decided through negotiations”, said Mr.
Schwimmer, who confirmed that the Council of Europe fully supports
the efforts undertaken to this end by the “Minsk Conference” under
the auspices of the OSCE. “I further welcome the recently revived
contacts at the highest political level by Armenia and Azerbaijan to
find a peaceful solution to the conflict, as well as the efforts by
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to foster
parliamentary co-operation in the region”, added Mr. Schwimmer.