OSCE concerned about Armenia's rejection of Turkish observers
Urdur Gunnarsdottir, Spokeswoman for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights based in Warsaw, said her office was concerned about Armenia's rejection of Turkish observers for May 12 parliamentary election. "The fact of rejection proves insufficient transparency of the election. Armenia breaches an important OSCE principle. Inviting one observer implies inviting representatives from all of 55 OSCE member states," she said.
When asked whether the OSCE can apply sanctions against Armenia, Ms. Gunnarsdottir said, "In such cases OSCE doesn't apply sanctions. The goal of our organization is to contribute to the vote and send observers. This is a political but not a juridical task. I can't say what kind of consequences Armenia can face but I can say for sure that OSCE won't apply any sanctions," Deutsche Welle reports.
Armenian Foreign Ministry's Acting Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian said the rejection of Turkish observers is conditioned by the absence of diplomatic relations between Yerevan and Ankara.
When asked whether the OSCE can apply sanctions against Armenia, Ms. Gunnarsdottir said, "In such cases OSCE doesn't apply sanctions. The goal of our organization is to contribute to the vote and send observers. This is a political but not a juridical task. I can't say what kind of consequences Armenia can face but I can say for sure that OSCE won't apply any sanctions," Deutsche Welle reports.
Armenian Foreign Ministry's Acting Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian said the rejection of Turkish observers is conditioned by the absence of diplomatic relations between Yerevan and Ankara.
