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AZERBAIJAN CONDEMNS KARABAKH VOTE
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 7 2007
Azerbaijan has officially condemned the planned conduct of a
presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh as an attempt to solidify
Armenian control over what it regards as an Azerbaijani territory.
In a statement reported late Thursday, the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry
repeated its position that such votes can not be legitimate without
a restoration of Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh and return of the
disputed region's Azerbaijani minority.
"The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry repeats that the unrecognized
separatist regime on the occupied Azerbaijani territories is nothing
than an illegal structure set up by Armenia on the basis of ethnic
cleansing of the Azerbaijani population," the statement said. "The
so-called election is held to cover up Armenia's annexation policy and
is aimed at strengthening the ongoing occupation of the Azerbaijani
territories."
The Azerbaijani government has similarly condemned the previous
presidential and parliamentary elections in Karabakh. Some of those
polls were also criticized by the international community, which said
they hamper the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) always
rejected the criticism, saying that the Karabakh Armenians need to be
represented in the long-running Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks by
their elected representatives. The U.S., Russian and French mediators
meet with NKR leaders during their regular visits to the conflict zone.
The mainly ethnic Armenian voters in Karabakh will go to the polls
on July 19 to elect a replacement for their outgoing President Arkady
Ghukasian, who has been in power for almost a decade. Bako Sahakian,
Ghukasian's handpicked successor endorsed by the NKR's four main
political parties, is seen as the favorite to win the election.
Ghukasian on Monday pledged to ensure that the vote is free and
fair, saying that that would facilitate international recognition
of Karabakh's de facto secession from Azerbaijan. "Even if the
international community formally doesn't recognize this election, it
can not fail to take note of its [proper] conduct," he told university
students in Yerevan.
"I'm afraid of sounding immodest, but I will say that Karabakh always
holds the best elections in the post-Soviet space," said Ghukasian.
However, Sahakian's main challenger, who served as Karabakh's
deputy foreign minister until recently, was reported on Friday to
have dismissed such pledges. The Yerevan daily "Haykakan Zhamanak"
quoted Masis Mayilian as saying that the authorities in Stepanakert
are illegally using their "administrative resources" ensure the
Ghukasian-backed candidate's victory. Mayilian also accused them of
discouraging local residents from attending his campaign meetings.
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 7 2007
Azerbaijan has officially condemned the planned conduct of a
presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh as an attempt to solidify
Armenian control over what it regards as an Azerbaijani territory.
In a statement reported late Thursday, the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry
repeated its position that such votes can not be legitimate without
a restoration of Baku's sovereignty over Karabakh and return of the
disputed region's Azerbaijani minority.
"The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry repeats that the unrecognized
separatist regime on the occupied Azerbaijani territories is nothing
than an illegal structure set up by Armenia on the basis of ethnic
cleansing of the Azerbaijani population," the statement said. "The
so-called election is held to cover up Armenia's annexation policy and
is aimed at strengthening the ongoing occupation of the Azerbaijani
territories."
The Azerbaijani government has similarly condemned the previous
presidential and parliamentary elections in Karabakh. Some of those
polls were also criticized by the international community, which said
they hamper the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) always
rejected the criticism, saying that the Karabakh Armenians need to be
represented in the long-running Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks by
their elected representatives. The U.S., Russian and French mediators
meet with NKR leaders during their regular visits to the conflict zone.
The mainly ethnic Armenian voters in Karabakh will go to the polls
on July 19 to elect a replacement for their outgoing President Arkady
Ghukasian, who has been in power for almost a decade. Bako Sahakian,
Ghukasian's handpicked successor endorsed by the NKR's four main
political parties, is seen as the favorite to win the election.
Ghukasian on Monday pledged to ensure that the vote is free and
fair, saying that that would facilitate international recognition
of Karabakh's de facto secession from Azerbaijan. "Even if the
international community formally doesn't recognize this election, it
can not fail to take note of its [proper] conduct," he told university
students in Yerevan.
"I'm afraid of sounding immodest, but I will say that Karabakh always
holds the best elections in the post-Soviet space," said Ghukasian.
However, Sahakian's main challenger, who served as Karabakh's
deputy foreign minister until recently, was reported on Friday to
have dismissed such pledges. The Yerevan daily "Haykakan Zhamanak"
quoted Masis Mayilian as saying that the authorities in Stepanakert
are illegally using their "administrative resources" ensure the
Ghukasian-backed candidate's victory. Mayilian also accused them of
discouraging local residents from attending his campaign meetings.