Yerevan: Elections in Artsakh are important in terms of strengthening  democracy, human rights and civil society in the region

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.