KARABAKH TRIES TO INTEGRATE IN THE EUROPEAN FAMILY

PanARMENIAN.Net - Though nobody has proposed the NKR authorities to join the European convention on Human rights and obliged them to ratify the protocol N.6, the National Assembly of the unrecognized Republic abolished the death penalty. From August 1 the death penalty is abolished from the territory of Nagorno Karabakh and the regions controlled by it. Nagorno Karabakh is the first unrecognized state in the world which has abolished the death penalty. This has been noted by Europe. It should be underlined that even before the attitude of the leaders of European structures towards Karabakh differed from their position towards other unrecognized states on the post Soviet territory. For example, in the booklet dedicated to the death penalty abolishment, published in October 2001 by the Directorate on Human Rights of the Council of Europe it is mentioned that in case of Georgia and Moldova the "death penalty is maintained in separatist regions". (The self proclaimed republics, such as Abkhazia, Southern Osetia and Prednestrovia are meant). In the part about Azerbaijan nothing is mentioned though in 2001 the death penalty was not yet abolished formally in NKR. It can be assumed that the Directorate on Human Rights of the Council of Europe admits the fact that the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan is not being spread on the territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

The NKR authorities are ready further on to fulfill all the obligations presented by the Western world to the countries wishing to become full members of the European family. In Stepanakert they are waiting for the decision of Armenia about the alternative military service after which the issue may be put on the agenda of the Karabakh Parliament. Speaker of the National Assembly of Karabakh Oleg Yesayan said recently that despite the military situation, the Karabakh authorities may introduce the alternative military service for certain category of citizens. As soon as the peace agreement is achieved, there will be no necessity to maintain the military situation. And when it becomes possible, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will be ready to fulfill all the conditions. This can be judged from the observations of the Azeri human rights expert Eldar Zeynalov who said that "A process of formation of a civil society is going on in Nagorno Karabakh". There are no bases not to believe the expert.