04 October 2008, 11:31
Nasibyan: elections in Azerbaijan will be no help to Karabakh settlement
After presidential election in Azerbaijan, it will be much easier to settle such complicated issues like the Karabakh problem, believes Mary Jovanovich, new US ambassador to Armenia. Meanwhile, experts in Nagorno-Karabakh think that the election could not be democratic.
According to Sergey Nasibyan, Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of Azerbaijan election the process of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will win nothing. "In fact, a fair and comprehensive settlement of the problem is related in many aspects with democratization of the societies of the parties in conflict and development level of the civil society," said the head of the Karabakh CEC. People both in Azerbaijan and outside the country understand that the forthcoming election cannot be free or fair, since the candidates are not on equal terms, asserts Mr Nasibyan.
In his turn, Ara Puluzyan, adviser of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh, has emphasized: "As a person dealing with the problems of Iran, where presidential election will also be held in summer, I'd like to note that situation in this country is incomparably better. We have there a contest of opinions, no persons are beyond criticism, there are mechanisms preventing set up of dictatorship. Alas, Azerbaijan has no mechanisms of this sort."
We remind you that 7 candidates are running for presidency in Azerbaijan, including the incumbent President, head of the Party "Eni Azerbaijan" Ilham Aliev.
Author: Naira Ayrumian, CK correspondent