IRAN TERMS KARABAKH VOTE ILLEGITIMATE
Press TV
May 25 2010
Iran
Iran has not recognized as legitimate the so-called parliamentary
elections in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Iranian
Foreign Ministry says.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the parliamentary
elections in Nagorno-Karabakh as legitimate,” Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.
No country officially recognizes Karabakh, which is claimed by both
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Azerbaijan condemned Sunday’s parliamentary elections in
Nagorno-Karabakh as illegal and the European Union said it would not
recognize the vote as legitimate.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman further denied claims that Tehran
had sent an observer to the elections.
Armenia took control of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s following
a short but bloody war with Azerbaijan in which around 30,000 people
lost their lives.
While a ceasefire was brokered in 1994, the dispute continues to
remain unresolved despite years of international mediation.
From: A. Papazian