AZERBAIJANI CEC: PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL NOT HAVE LEGAL BASE
Trend
April 21 2010
Azerbaijan
The parliamentary elections held by Armenian separatists in Nagorno
Karabakh contradict international legal norms.
"The elections are held to form a legitimate government. They must
be fair, free and democratic. But holding elections in war zones and
occupied territories oppose international legal norms," Azerbaijani
Central Elections Committee (CEC) Secretary Natig Mammadov told Trend.
Nagorno Karabakh’s Armenian separatist regime intends to hold
parliamentary elections May 23. It has already started the candidate
registration process.
There is no single entity with a legal framework meeting legislative
requirements and international standards in Nagorno Karabakh,
Mammadov said.
"These territories are under occupation and international organizations
and countries around the world recognize the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan. Therefore, the elections in these areas should be
conducted under Azerbaijani legislation," he added.
Mammadov said Azerbaijani legislation is in force throughout the
country.
"Currently, Azerbaijani laws cannot be directly applied in the
territories under Armenian occupation. Thus, holding legitimate
elections in Nagorno Karabakh is impossible. This is a game to justify
and legitimize the occupation," Mammadov said.
The elections are offensive to Karabakh Azerbaijanis and IDPs,
he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United
States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.