Kazakhstan refuses to recognize presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh
Kazakhstan does not recognize the presidential elections in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan stated.
«Kazakhstan once again reaffirms its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, and also stands for the settlement of all disputes through political and diplomatic negotiations in accordance with the UN Charter, the fundamental principles and norms of international law,» the ministry said in a statement.
The context. On September 9, the parliament of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic elected a 45-year-old Samvel Shahramanyan as the new president during a special meeting.
What was the international reaction? The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that the elections were a gross violation of the country’s constitution, laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as norms and principles of international law.
Apart from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, the European Union, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Pakistan and the U.K. also haven’t recognized the elections.
According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the country appreciates the position of those countries that condemned the elections in Nagorno-Karabakh. Aykhan Hajizade, the ministry’s spokesperson, said that Azerbaijan hopes that other states will also stand for principles of international law.
What do we know about the conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh? The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabakh has lasted for more than 30 years.
The conflict escalated in 2020 when a 45-day war began. At the time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to cease fire. Arayik Harutyunyan, head of Nagorno-Karabakh, supported the position of Armenia.
The two sides agreed to postpone the determination of the status of Karabakh to the future.
On May 22, 2023, Pashinyan stated that Armenia is ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh if the security of ethnic Armenians is guaranteed. Later, Aliyev and Pashinyan announced mutual recognition of borders.
During a meeting with Aliyev in August 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan said that «Azerbaijan has entered a new era of its development» after the country «victoriously restored its territorial integrity.»
