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NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO HOLD PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
BBC
19 July 2012 Last updated at 04:38
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s is thought to
have claimed up to 30,000 lives Continue reading the main story
Voters in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are due to go
to polls on Thursday to elect a new president.
Almost 100,000 voters will choose from among four candidates for
the post.
Populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, the territory declared
independence from Azerbaijan after the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991, sparking a conflict in which thousands died.
Azerbaijan has described the poll as a "provocation", and there are
fears of a return to full-scale conflict.
"We have every reason to say to the world that we hold
elections strictly in accordance with the law," Vasily Atajanian,
Nagorno-Karabakh's acting foreign minister told the Reuters news
agency,
"We can say that there is no difference between us and democratic
Europe," Mr Atajanian added.
Arms race
However, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern
over the poll.
"I would like to reiterate that the European Union does not recognise
the constitutional and legal framework in which [the vote] will be
held," Baroness Ashton said in a statement.
"These 'elections' should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict," she added.
A ceasefire was agreed between the two sides in 1994, but in recent
months tension has been rising.
At the beginning of June, at least nine soldiers were shot dead
by snipers.
Both sides are engaged in an arms race, investing in more sophisticated
weaponry, the BBC's Damien McGuinness reports from the region.
Any return to a full-blown conflict would therefore have even more
devastating consequences this time round, particularly if regional
allies such as Russia or Turkey were dragged into the dispute, our
correspondent adds.
From: A. Papazian
BBC
19 July 2012 Last updated at 04:38
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s is thought to
have claimed up to 30,000 lives Continue reading the main story
Voters in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are due to go
to polls on Thursday to elect a new president.
Almost 100,000 voters will choose from among four candidates for
the post.
Populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, the territory declared
independence from Azerbaijan after the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991, sparking a conflict in which thousands died.
Azerbaijan has described the poll as a "provocation", and there are
fears of a return to full-scale conflict.
"We have every reason to say to the world that we hold
elections strictly in accordance with the law," Vasily Atajanian,
Nagorno-Karabakh's acting foreign minister told the Reuters news
agency,
"We can say that there is no difference between us and democratic
Europe," Mr Atajanian added.
Arms race
However, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern
over the poll.
"I would like to reiterate that the European Union does not recognise
the constitutional and legal framework in which [the vote] will be
held," Baroness Ashton said in a statement.
"These 'elections' should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict," she added.
A ceasefire was agreed between the two sides in 1994, but in recent
months tension has been rising.
At the beginning of June, at least nine soldiers were shot dead
by snipers.
Both sides are engaged in an arms race, investing in more sophisticated
weaponry, the BBC's Damien McGuinness reports from the region.
Any return to a full-blown conflict would therefore have even more
devastating consequences this time round, particularly if regional
allies such as Russia or Turkey were dragged into the dispute, our
correspondent adds.
From: A. Papazian