According to a report circulated in the mass information media of Armenia on April 2000, elections to the “Parliament” of the so-called “Nagorny Karabakh Republic” are scheduled to be held on 18 June 2000 in the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic occupied by Armenian separatists.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijani Republic states that the holding of the so-called “elections” in Nagorny Karabakh, which appear to be nothing more than a further political ploy, is regarded as aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Azerbaijani Republic, a flouting of its Constitution and laws, and, in general, a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The planned “Parliamentary elections” in Nagorny Karabakh should be regarded as a blatant challenge to international legal standards and an attempt to present the international community with a fait accompli. This latest ploy of elections in the “Nagorny Karabakh Republic”, which is not recognized by any State in the world, not even Armenia to which it is in fact subject, is a further attempt to lend a semblance of legitimacy to the fact of the aggression by the armed separatists, the forces which seized power in that inalienable and integral part of Azerbaijan. The method of governing of the “leaders”, which reflects relations between them based on force and terror, once again demonstrates how far they are from the tradition of parliamentarism and democracy.

The actions of the infamous regime in Nagorny Karabakh, which are contrary to international law, are clear evidence of the attempts of the Armenian separatists to legitimize their authority in Azerbaijani territories and appear to be yet another step taken with a view to further reinforcing the effects of the military aggression by the Republic of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

It is no accident that the puppet regime is taking the initiative in establishing a supposedly legitimate structure of authority right after carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, expelling by force of arms more than 50,000 Azerbaijanis from their historic lands and pursuing a large-scale destructive policy and a policy of mass terror.

The fact of the aggression and the ethnic cleansing carried out in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has been strongly condemned in Security Council resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993), at summit meetings of OSCE, in decisions of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and in the documents of a number of other international organizations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijani Republic considers that the carrying out in Nagorny Karabakh, under cover of so-called “parliamentary” elections, of measures which have the character of political provocation has a negative impact on efforts directed towards the successful conclusion of the peace talks, a political settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and, in general, the strengthening of stability in the region.

This latest farce of elections, aimed at protecting the interests of the group which is in power, has caused deep concern and indignation even among the Armenian population, which has grown tired of the policy of confrontation in Nagorny Karabakh and is living in intolerable social conditions, under constant ideological and political pressure, and, finally, sees that the way to salvation lies in the attainment of peace and the restoration in the region of the sovereign rights of the Azerbaijani Republic and the normalization of relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijani Republic considers that the holding of fair elections in Nagorny Karabakh and the resumption of the activities of the legal organs of power will be possible only after the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani Republic, on the basis of the proposals of the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group of OSCE, the liberation of the occupied territories, the return of the Azerbaijani population to their native homes and the restoration of the ethno-democratic situation in the region.

The holding of elections to the “Parliament of the Nagorny Karabakh Republic”, which exists only on paper and does not have any resources or authority even in the former district executive committees, is completely illegal and a grave violation of international legal standards. Azerbaijan will not recognize the results of those elections and we are certain that States and Parliaments throughout the world will respect the principles and the genuine traditions of parliamentarianism and take the same position.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijani Republic calls upon all international organizations, the United Nations, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the States members of the Minsk Group of OSCE, and the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group of OSCE, to condemn the illegal elections which the Armenian separatists intend to hold in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and to use all possible means of influence to avert this political farce and to refuse to recognize its results.

Baku, April 20, 2000