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AZERBAIJAN CALLS NAGORNO-KARABAKH ELECTIONS ILLEGAL
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 30 2011
Azerbaijan has denounced the local elections held on Sept. 18 in
Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, calling them
illegal.
Underlining that Armenia's decision to hold elections on Azerbaijan's
territory lacks any validity and undermines the negotiations, under
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Minsk Group, the statement noted that the so-called elections have
no legal effect because they contradict the norms and principles
of international law. Since Armenia has implemented a policy to
homogenize the population through ethnic cleansing and forcing
Azerbaijanis living in the region to migrate, the elections only
represent the illegal structure established by Armenia.
"The so-called 'elections' were organized with the aim of concealing
Armenia's policy of occupation and bolstering the results of the
occupation of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territories,"
the statement said.
Commenting on the election in Nagorno-Karabakh, Hasan Kanbolat,
chairman of the Middle East Strategic Research Center (ORSAM), noted
that the elections for the local self-governing bodies that took place
in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan
are illegal.
â~@~\These elections will undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution
for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia,â~@~]
he told Today's Zaman. Kanbolat argued that Russia and other OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs, the US and France, do not exert enough of an
effort to put an end to the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani
territories and try to legitimize the occupation via endless meetings.
â~@~\One-fifth of Azerbaijan's total territory is under Armenian
occupation. In order to prove its sincerity, Armenia should end the
occupation. Although the two countries signed a cease-fire agreement
in 1994, Armenia continuously violates it and attacks Azerbaijan's
territory,â~@~] he added.
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, a professor of
international relations at Gazi University in Ankara, noted that
the election has no practical meaning. However, if Azerbaijan moves
slowly to respond to these kinds of developments, these elections will
strengthen the hand of Armenia and Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh
in future developments. â~@~\For almost two decades almost 20 percent
of Azerbaijan's territory has been under Armenian occupation and
more than 1 million people have been displaced. When we take into
consideration this number of refugees, the legitimacy of the elections
automatically becomes controversial,â~@~] he said.
Underlining that Nagorno-Karabakh has been Turkic throughout history,
Erol stated that the main cause of this conflict was the USSR's border
regulations. The USSR intentionally created political instability
in the region to increase its domination over the parties and Russia
also maintains USSR policies for the same purpose as well.
â~@~\In this issue Russia is the primary factor in solving the
conflict.
However, instead of settling the issue, Russia wants to use the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue as a trump card in their relations with
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now is the time for Azerbaijan, which reacted
harshly to the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations in 2008,
to reconsider Russia's approach toward Armenia,â~@~] he added.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich
also announced that Russia does not recognize the local government
elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 18.
Lukashevich reaffirmed their support for the principles of
territorial integrity and the non-use of force, as well as the other
basic principles and norms of international law. Reiterating that
Russia does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state,
Lukashevich stated that the elections cannot influence the peace
process for Nagorno-Karabakh.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin
Ä°hsanoÄ~_lu has issued a press release on the issue. While reiterating
that the OIC fully recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the secretary-general stated that the
recent elections in Nagorno-Karabakh gravely violate relevant norms
and principles of international law and therefore have no legal effect.
Ä°hsanoÄ~_lu has also emphasized that the OIC continues to support
Azerbaijan's efforts to solve the territory dispute on the basis of
relevant international resolutions.
Since the 1988-1994 war, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under Armenian
control. Peace negotiations under the OSCE Minsk Group have been
ongoing for almost two decades.
The two sides are currently negotiating a set of basic principles that
return the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control; give an interim status to Nagorno-Karabakh, providing
guarantees for security and self-governance; create a corridor linking
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; allow for the future determination of
the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh with a legally binding
public expression of will through a referendum; give all internally
displaced persons and refugees the right to return to their former
places of residence; and establish international security guarantees
that would include a peacekeeping operation. While Azerbaijan states
that it has accepted the latest version of the basic principles,
Armenia is still hesitating.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 30 2011
Azerbaijan has denounced the local elections held on Sept. 18 in
Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, calling them
illegal.
Underlining that Armenia's decision to hold elections on Azerbaijan's
territory lacks any validity and undermines the negotiations, under
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Minsk Group, the statement noted that the so-called elections have
no legal effect because they contradict the norms and principles
of international law. Since Armenia has implemented a policy to
homogenize the population through ethnic cleansing and forcing
Azerbaijanis living in the region to migrate, the elections only
represent the illegal structure established by Armenia.
"The so-called 'elections' were organized with the aim of concealing
Armenia's policy of occupation and bolstering the results of the
occupation of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territories,"
the statement said.
Commenting on the election in Nagorno-Karabakh, Hasan Kanbolat,
chairman of the Middle East Strategic Research Center (ORSAM), noted
that the elections for the local self-governing bodies that took place
in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan
are illegal.
â~@~\These elections will undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution
for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia,â~@~]
he told Today's Zaman. Kanbolat argued that Russia and other OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs, the US and France, do not exert enough of an
effort to put an end to the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani
territories and try to legitimize the occupation via endless meetings.
â~@~\One-fifth of Azerbaijan's total territory is under Armenian
occupation. In order to prove its sincerity, Armenia should end the
occupation. Although the two countries signed a cease-fire agreement
in 1994, Armenia continuously violates it and attacks Azerbaijan's
territory,â~@~] he added.
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, a professor of
international relations at Gazi University in Ankara, noted that
the election has no practical meaning. However, if Azerbaijan moves
slowly to respond to these kinds of developments, these elections will
strengthen the hand of Armenia and Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh
in future developments. â~@~\For almost two decades almost 20 percent
of Azerbaijan's territory has been under Armenian occupation and
more than 1 million people have been displaced. When we take into
consideration this number of refugees, the legitimacy of the elections
automatically becomes controversial,â~@~] he said.
Underlining that Nagorno-Karabakh has been Turkic throughout history,
Erol stated that the main cause of this conflict was the USSR's border
regulations. The USSR intentionally created political instability
in the region to increase its domination over the parties and Russia
also maintains USSR policies for the same purpose as well.
â~@~\In this issue Russia is the primary factor in solving the
conflict.
However, instead of settling the issue, Russia wants to use the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue as a trump card in their relations with
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now is the time for Azerbaijan, which reacted
harshly to the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations in 2008,
to reconsider Russia's approach toward Armenia,â~@~] he added.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich
also announced that Russia does not recognize the local government
elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 18.
Lukashevich reaffirmed their support for the principles of
territorial integrity and the non-use of force, as well as the other
basic principles and norms of international law. Reiterating that
Russia does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state,
Lukashevich stated that the elections cannot influence the peace
process for Nagorno-Karabakh.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin
Ä°hsanoÄ~_lu has issued a press release on the issue. While reiterating
that the OIC fully recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the secretary-general stated that the
recent elections in Nagorno-Karabakh gravely violate relevant norms
and principles of international law and therefore have no legal effect.
Ä°hsanoÄ~_lu has also emphasized that the OIC continues to support
Azerbaijan's efforts to solve the territory dispute on the basis of
relevant international resolutions.
Since the 1988-1994 war, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under Armenian
control. Peace negotiations under the OSCE Minsk Group have been
ongoing for almost two decades.
The two sides are currently negotiating a set of basic principles that
return the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control; give an interim status to Nagorno-Karabakh, providing
guarantees for security and self-governance; create a corridor linking
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; allow for the future determination of
the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh with a legally binding
public expression of will through a referendum; give all internally
displaced persons and refugees the right to return to their former
places of residence; and establish international security guarantees
that would include a peacekeeping operation. While Azerbaijan states
that it has accepted the latest version of the basic principles,
Armenia is still hesitating.