NATIONAL MINORITIES CONDEMN NAGORNO-KARABAKH REFERENDUM

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 14 2006

Representatives of national minorities in Azerbaijan gathered at the
International Press Center in Baku on Thursday to condemn the December
10 referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the initiative of the Head of Russian community of Azerbaijan
Mikhail Zabelin, the participants of the gathering agreed to establish
the Congress of National Minorities of the Azerbaijan Republic. They
formed a working group, produced a charter of the organization, and
issued an appeal to the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, U.S. Department of
State and Congress, parliament of France, Russia’s Foreign Ministry and
State Duma, strongly protesting against the so-called "constitutional
referendum" in Nagorno-Karabakh. "This action by the separatist regime
of Nagorno-Karabakh contradicts not only Constitution of Azerbaijan but
also norms and principles of the international law," the appeal says.

It also says that representatives of tens of nationalities and
ethnic groups have been living in Azerbaijan for ages. They enjoy
all the rights of citizens of the sovereign and democratic country,
with the opportunity to preserve and develop their culture, language
and traditions.

The Congress of National Minorities expressed its full support for
the efforts by the leadership of Azerbaijan towards resolution of
the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the base of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, and called for condemnation of
the illegal act, and unrecognizing of the results of the so-called
"referendum".