KARABAKH FOREIGN MINISTER QUESTIONS AZERBAIJAN’S DRIVE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
Armenpress
AUG 25, 2005
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: In an interview with De-Facto news
agency Nagorno-Karabakh foreign minister Arman Melikian said the
decision of Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) to restore
election district 122, which before Karabakh had broken away from
Azerbaijan, included voters living there, poses a serious threat to
its declared goal of furthering democratic reforms, since this will
give Azeri authorities a broad possibility to manipulate the outcome
of next parliamentary elections in favor of the incumbent regime.
Melikian said Azerbaijan’s promises to create also a website for
online voting will take the voting process out of international
observers’ control. He argued that Karabakh legislation provides
for a dual citizenship ‘but if a Karabakh citizen decides to also
obtain an Azerbaijani citizenship the two states (Nagorno-Karabakh
and Azerbaijan) will have to sign a relevant agreement to regulate
the rights and obligations of people with dual citizenship, including
also their suffrage.”
According to the minister, before doing so Azerbaijan will have to
recognize Karabakh’s independence and also incorporate a provision
on dual citizenship into its constitution.