RA MFA: TO DISMISS NKR ELECTIONS IS DISINGENUOUS AND SIMPLY CONTRARY TO MODERN POLITICAL VALUES

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.07.2007 17:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We welcome the presidential elections held in
Nagorno Karabakh on July 19. Nearly 80% of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh participated in these elections. These elections are the most
recent in some dozen presidential, parliamentary, and local election
polls, as well as a constitutional referendum, held since 1991,"
says a statement of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"This is just one expression of the commitment the people of Nagorno
Karabakh have made to democracy and rule of law. Legitimately elected
authorities have succeeded in securing the safety and stability of
that region even in the absence of a permanent settlement.

Various OSCE and other international documents clearly indicate that
not only should Nagorno Karabakh be a party to settlement negotiations,
but that their elected authorities should represent them.

To dismiss these or any elections is disingenuous and simply contrary
to modern political values. Further, rejection cannot be understood
given the fact that in other areas of the world, in places where final
political status and settlement are also absent, such elections are
indeed supported, promoted, observed and encouraged.

The people of Nagorno Karabakh remain committed to resolving the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict through negotiations to reach a peaceful,
lasting settlement.

Unlike in other conflicts, in Karabakh, the population has always
had to ensure its own security without the help of the international
community. In the same way, they have also succeeded in securing their
own democratic processes and domestic stability," the statement says.