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AZERBAIJAN CHALLENGES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REJECT "ILLEGITIMATE" ARMENIAN ELECTION
Sacramento Bee, California
March 19 2013
By Azerbaijan Monitor
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 19, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ --
The Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary
Assembly, Elkhan Suleymanov, called the recent elections in
Armenia "illegitimate" due to the continued violation of human
rights of one million ethnic Azerbaijanis who became refugees and
internally displaced people in the wake of Armenia's occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other Azerbaijani districts more than 20
years ago.
"We are concerned and deeply regret the fact that the international
community positively evaluates the presidential elections in Armenia
in the light of democracy, human rights, and rule of law," Suleymanov
said. "After all, that country conducted an armed aggression against
its neighbour Azerbaijan and still keeps 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territory under military occupation."
Resolutions by the UN, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European
Parliament calling for Armenia's immediate, complete and unconditional
withdrawal from the occupied territories have not been enforced.
Suleymanov said his nation is further troubled that the recent Armenian
elections returned to power President Serzh Sargsyan, a former military
commander who "committed a brutal genocide against innocent civilians
in the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan on 26th February of 1992".
International observers had already found flaws with the poll,
in which one candidate went on hunger strike to protest campaign
violations and another was shot and wounded.
Sargsyan won the election against what the New York Times described as
"relatively weak competition". It reported how the challenger Andreas
Ghukasian staged the hunger strike and another, Paruir A. Airikyan,
was shot in "what the authorities described as an assassination
attempt". It further noted that supporters of President Sargsyan were
involved in the "inappropriate use of government resources to promote
his candidacy".
The re-election of Sargsyan will do nothing to promote peace in the
region, Suleymanov said, given that President Sargsyan "acknowledges
that he is one of the authors and participants of the bloody ethnic
crimes against civilians".
In a challenge to the international community Suleymanov said:
"We call on the international community and the official election
observation missions to consider the presidential elections in Armenia
and the election of Serzh Sargsyan illegitimate."
He also demanded the European Union block the signing of the
Association Agreement with Armenia until the occupation of Azerbaijani
territories cease and urged the issue to be discussed by the OSCE,
PACE and European Parliament.
SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor
Read more here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/19/5274360/azerbaijan-challenges-international.html#storylink=cpy
Sacramento Bee, California
March 19 2013
By Azerbaijan Monitor
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 19, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ --
The Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary
Assembly, Elkhan Suleymanov, called the recent elections in
Armenia "illegitimate" due to the continued violation of human
rights of one million ethnic Azerbaijanis who became refugees and
internally displaced people in the wake of Armenia's occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other Azerbaijani districts more than 20
years ago.
"We are concerned and deeply regret the fact that the international
community positively evaluates the presidential elections in Armenia
in the light of democracy, human rights, and rule of law," Suleymanov
said. "After all, that country conducted an armed aggression against
its neighbour Azerbaijan and still keeps 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territory under military occupation."
Resolutions by the UN, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European
Parliament calling for Armenia's immediate, complete and unconditional
withdrawal from the occupied territories have not been enforced.
Suleymanov said his nation is further troubled that the recent Armenian
elections returned to power President Serzh Sargsyan, a former military
commander who "committed a brutal genocide against innocent civilians
in the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan on 26th February of 1992".
International observers had already found flaws with the poll,
in which one candidate went on hunger strike to protest campaign
violations and another was shot and wounded.
Sargsyan won the election against what the New York Times described as
"relatively weak competition". It reported how the challenger Andreas
Ghukasian staged the hunger strike and another, Paruir A. Airikyan,
was shot in "what the authorities described as an assassination
attempt". It further noted that supporters of President Sargsyan were
involved in the "inappropriate use of government resources to promote
his candidacy".
The re-election of Sargsyan will do nothing to promote peace in the
region, Suleymanov said, given that President Sargsyan "acknowledges
that he is one of the authors and participants of the bloody ethnic
crimes against civilians".
In a challenge to the international community Suleymanov said:
"We call on the international community and the official election
observation missions to consider the presidential elections in Armenia
and the election of Serzh Sargsyan illegitimate."
He also demanded the European Union block the signing of the
Association Agreement with Armenia until the occupation of Azerbaijani
territories cease and urged the issue to be discussed by the OSCE,
PACE and European Parliament.
SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor
Read more here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/19/5274360/azerbaijan-challenges-international.html#storylink=cpy