Jim Karygiannis congratulates people of Nagrono-Karabakh

12:42, 28.08.2014

Canadian politician, former Canadian House member Jim Karygiannis
congratulated the people of Nagorno-Karabakh on Independence Day.

The congratulatory message runs as follows:

“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to
members of the Canadian Armenian community and the people of Nagorno
Karabakh (Artsakh) on the occasion of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh)
Independence Day.

On December 10, 1991, days before the official dissolution of the
Soviet Union, a referendum on independence was held in Nagorno
Karabakh. The overwhelming majority of Artsakh’s population voted in
favour of independence.

The people of Artsakh consider September 2nd the day The Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh was proclaimed. The occasion is marked as a state
holiday.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is a de facto independent, democratic
and fully functioning state, with a thriving market economy and a
dynamic civil society, which is working toward entrenching its freedom
and the formal recognition of its independence.

The area is still a conflict zone. In the summer of 2014, deadly
skirmishes broke out along the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border which took
the lives of young Azseris and Armenians. The OSCE Minsk Group has
thus far failed to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, as the
temporary peace — although fragile — has allowed the primary parties
to continually put off a more substantive, long-lasting peace
settlement. I believe it is time that the international community
encourages both sides to get back to the negotiating table and find a
solution. The international community also has to hold the
Azerbaijanis accountable for past infractions of breaking the peace
negotiations.

In July 2012, I led a team of Canadian Election Observers for the
Presidential Election in The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. It was a
picture perfect election from start to finish and witnessing the
election process in a new democracy was a positive learning
experience. I also met with government officials, residents of Nagorno
Karabakh and members of the Canadian Diaspora who were visiting and
learned more about the challenges facing this Artsakh”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress