Navarre Parliament Says Artsakh Must Take Part in Talks

The Parliament of Navarre

PAMPLONA, Spain (PanArmenian.net)—The Board of Spokespersons of the Parliament of Navarre, an autonomous region in northern Spain, has issued a statement calling on the international community and specifically the OSCE Minsk Group and the European Union to take steps for resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through peaceful and democratic means.

According to the Artsakh Foreign Ministry’s report, the statement emphasizes that the government of Nagorno Karabakh should be allowed to participate in the negotiation process. The council also hailed the Artsakh people’s adherence to democratic principles.

On Sept. 12, a motion supporting the self-determination of Artsakh was adopted by the Basque Parliament. The motion praises the strong determination of the Nagorno Karabakh people in their choice for democracy, despite the hard and difficult situation. In addition, it states that the people of Karabakh have the right to decide their own future, namely their self-determination, which is the fundamental element in any negotiation for the final settlement of the conflict. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of Nagorno Karabakh’s participation in the OSCE Minsk Group conflict resolution process.

A day earlier, a similar document was adopted by the province of Gipuzkoa, one of the three provinces of the Basque Country.

The Navarre Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide on June 23. A declaration adopted by the parliament denounced the policy of denial developed by the Turkish regime and called on Turkey “to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia in the spirit of good neighborhood, and to resolve their border dispute peacefully.”

Navarre is a Spanish autonomous region in the north, bordering France, roughly the size of Cyprus, and populated by around 650,000 inhabitants. It is the fourth region in Spain that has recognized the Armenian Genocide, after the Basque Country, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.