Karabakh leader upbeat on elections despite Azeri protests

Arminfo, Yerevan
22 Jun 05

STEPANAKERT

Any elections in the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR] cause the
concern of the Baku government. Yet in spite of Azerbaijan’s protests
at the current parliamentary elections in the NKR, Azerbaijani
politicians are nevertheless closely following them, the NKR
president, Arkadiy Gukasyan, has told journalists.

The international community does not want the NKR to be a totalitarian
state, he said. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and international
observers understand that Azerbaijan has always taken a destructive
stance regarding the elections in the NKR, but for fear of worsening
relations with the Baku government, they display some formal
restraint.

The situation on the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border was calm on election
day, Gukasyan said.

He does not believe that the balance of power in the region will shift
when the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is built. He recalled that
when Azerbaijan unleashed a war against Nagornyy Karabakh, it had
hundreds of tanks, armoured vehicles and military aircraft, whereas
the defence army of the NKR had only three tanks. “However, everyone
is well aware of the outcome of that war,” Gukasyan said. He added
that the basis of the victory of the Karabakh people was that they
realized their goals.

“We live in our land and we know very well what we are defending,
which cannot be said for the most of the Azerbaijani soldiers,” he
said. The NKR is ready for any challenge. “We know perfectly well that
a long and difficult road awaits us on the path towards the
recognition and confirmation of our independence,” Gukasyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress