Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) on the recent initiatives of Azerbaijan and reaction of Baku related to the municipal elections in the NKR: “The September 18, 2011 municipal elections in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic were another successful demonstration of the democratic process. The authorities formed via free voting, which was evaluated as such by numerous international observers, are called to continue the permanent process of increasing the Karabakh people’s self-organization and consolidating the principles of an open and democratic society, which is taking place in our Republic. The NKR citizens enjoyed the right to free choice – the inherent right of all the nations in the world. In this context, we consider any criticism of the democratic processes in the NKR as groundless and contradicting the modern tendencies of developing international relations. Besides, the NKR MFA considers it necessary to remind Azerbaijan that its attempts to deprive the people of Nagorno Karabakh of the right to democratic development and consolidation of a civil society are doomed to failure, as well as expresses its concern about the lack of similar processes in the neighboring Republic. Also, the NKR Foreign Ministry appeals to the international community for displaying a constructive and successive attitude towards all the processes in the NKR, which contribute to the formation of an open and democratic region of the South Caucasus. October 1, 2011 Stepanakert ”

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