Ottawa – According to a report from the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (www.rferl/org) datedWednesday July 18, 2012, “Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry says it will declare all foreign citizens whotravel to the Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh territory to observe a presidential poll in thebreakaway region on July 19 to be personae non gratae.”
This report comes amid yet unconfirmed reports of efforts by officials of Azerbaijan in Canada to derail the will of Canadian Parliamentarians to witness firsthand the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Canadian Member of Parliament the Honourable Jim Karygiannis and his team are presentlyin Nagorno-Karabakh as credentialed international election observers. According to RFE/RL, there areover 110 international observers including the former Attorney General of Rhode Island Patrick C.Lynch and Susana Pereira, Member of Parliament from Uruguay.
Th al Election Observers “Personae non gratae”
e President of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, Dr. Girair Basmadjian stated “Once again the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have expressed their desire to govern themselvesand live democratically on their ancestral lands. The country has consistently opened its doors tointernational observers to demonstrate to the world that its elections are fair and transparent.”
Dr. Basmadjian added that, “It is unfortunate that the government of Azerbaijan wishes to placeroadblocks in front of those who wish to observe firsthand the remarkable democratic maturity that hasbecome ingrained in the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Just what is it that the Azerbaijanigovernment does not want the world to see? Why are they afraid of transparency?”
The current presidential election represents the fifth such election since 1991. Elections in theNagorno-Karabakh Republic have been, in the past, characterised by international observers as beingan exemplary model in the region.
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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian grassroots political organization. Workingin coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliatedorganizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Canadian-Armeniancommunity on a broad range of issues.
