ArmInfo.The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it congratulated the Artsakh authorities on March 31 holding free and fair elections in accordance with high democratic standards. ArmInfo was informed about this in the press service of the RA MFA. The Armenian Foreign Ministry noted that the people of Azakh deserved the right to live freely and dignified, to have a democratic and modern society.
<These nationwide elections, which took place in conditions of free democratic competition and civil accord, are the best evidence of this. The people of Artsakh have earned the right to live free and dignified, to have a democratic and modern society. These national elections, which took place in conditions of free democratic competition and civil consent, are the best evidence of this. The human right to elect and participate in governance, inalienable and universal>, noted in the Armenian Foreign Ministry. The statement said that fundamental human rights documents, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights agreements, clearly define that in the context of human rights no distinction should be made based on the political, legal or international status of the territory, and all nations, by the power of the right to self-determination, are free to determine their political status and be consistent in their economic, social and cultural development.
< The Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the presidential and parliamentary elections held in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on March 31
We congratulate the authorities and the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on holding free and fair elections on March 31, which were in line with high democratic standards.
The people of Artsakh have indeed earned the right to live free in dignity, to shape together a democratic and modern society. In this regard, these nationwide elections, which were held in an environment of free competition and civil solidarity, have been case in point.
Those elections once again demonstrated that human rights, particularly the right to vote and to take part in a government, are inalienable and universal. The fundamental human rights instruments, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, clearly establish that in exercising human rights no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of any territory and that all peoples can freely determine their political status by virtue of their right to self-determination and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is the foundation for the settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. This reality has been fully reflected in the principles and elements of settlement presented by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which envisage the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.
It is noteworthy that in their statement on the Artsakh elections, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs once again reiterated the role of the population of Artsakh in determining their future, in the context of principles and elements of the settlement of the conflict.
The incoming authorities of Artsakh - those who have already received the mandate of the people of Artsakh at the parliamentary elections and those who will receive that very mandate at the second round of the presidential elections, have a special responsibility and role in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Active engagement of the elected authorities of Artsakh as a main party of the resolution of the conflict will significantly increase the effectiveness of the negotiation process and will ensure progress in the key issues of the conflict resolution.
Elections in Artsakh are also important in terms of strengthening democracy, human rights and civil society in the region. It once again emphasizes that the conflict cannot serve as an insurmountable impediment for building democratic society.
On these days, we also pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the military aggression and atrocities committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh four years ago. In this context, it should be underlined that the democratic development of all countries in the region and accountability of authorities before their own peoples is a prerequisite for the regional security and peaceful resolution of the conflict.
It should be noted that on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).
According to the NKR Central Executive Committee, the second round of the presidential election will be held in the republic since none of the presidential candidates scored the required 50% + 1 votes for the final election victory.
The second round of the presidential election will be held 14 days after the vote, that is, April 14th. According to preliminary data from the CEC, former Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan won 49.26% of the vote, while Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan won 26.4. In third place is the ex-secretary of the Security Council, Vitaliy Balasanyan, who scored 14.7%.
Five parties will enter the new parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh. The majority of votes were won by the Free Homeland / United Civil Alliance bloc (40.4%), led by ex-Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan. Also, the United Motherland parties - 23.63%, Justice - 7.9%, ARF Dashnaktsutyun - 6.4% and the Democratic Party of Artsakh - 5.81% passed to parliament.
It should be noted that a number of structures and countries have already issued a statement in which they emphasized that they do not recognize the electoral processes in the NKR and stated that these processes can in no way affect the determination of the final status of Artsakh or the negotiation process. Note that a statement was made by the OSCE, EU, NATO, neighboring Iran and Georgia, the UK, Italy and several other European countries.