Azerbaijani MFA treats NKR’s referendum as illegitimate

The decision to hold a constitutional referendum in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) contradicts to the position of the international community, which recognizes this territory as a part of Azerbaijan; therefore, the outcomes of the referendum have no legal force, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has announced today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the discussion of the new draft Constitution of the NKR began in March 2016; the referendum on it is scheduled for February 20.

"The holding of the so-called ‘referendum’ in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan, occupied by Armenia, is an overt violation of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and norms of the international law; therefore its outcomes have no legal force," says the statement of the MFA of Azerbaijan released today and provided to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the MFA’s statement, the decision of the ECtHR of June 16, 2015, on the case "Chyragov at al vs Armenia" emphasizes that "the regime established in occupied territories is under management and control of Armenia and continues to exist thanks to the military, political, financial and other support" of Yerevan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.