Written declaration No. 496 | Doc. 12758 | 09 February 2012

The Republic of mountainous Karabagh (Artsakh)

Author(s): several Assembly members

Signatories: Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Daniel BACQUELAINE, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Denis BADRÉ, France ; Mr Gagik BAGHDASARYAN, Armenia, ALDE ; Mr Gerard BARCIA DUEDRA, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Laurent BÉTEILLE, France ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Mr Roland BLUM, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Italo BOCCHINO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Georges COLOMBIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Karl DONABAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Joseph FALZON, Malta, EPP/CD ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Tamás GAUDI NAGY, Hungary, NR ; Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Armenia, EDG ; Mr Norbert HAUPERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Theo MAISSEN, Switzerland ; Ms Christine MARIN, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Muriel MARLAND-MILITELLO, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Meritxell MATEU PI, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Edgar MAYER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Armen MELIKYAN, Armenia ; Ms Hermine NAGHDALYAN, Armenia, ALDE ; Mr Jakob PRESEČNIK, Slovenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Gabino PUCHE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr François ROCHEBLOINE, France, EPP/CD ; Mr René ROUQUET, France, SOC ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Ms Fatiha SAÏDI, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Dragan TODOROVIĆ, Serbia, NR ; Ms Naira ZOHRABYAN, Armenia, ALDE

Origin - Written Declaration first published on 5 October 2011 with 32 signatures.

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

20 years ago, through the adoption of legal decisions on independence based on Soviet and International Laws, new states were created in our region. The right to self-determination and decolonization from the Soviet Union was exercised not only by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, but by Mountainous Karabagh as well.

These four political entities declared independence approximately at the same time. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have been members of the Council of Europe for 10 years now, while Artsakh is not a member of this organisation. Despite these facts and the difficult situation it finds itself in, Artsakh has nonetheless adopted and is consistently following a political path of state-building in conformity with the spirit, the mission and the values of the Council of Europe.

Highly appreciating the results and the dynamics of democracy-building adopted as a development model by Artsakh and realising the importance of the participation of the official delegates of Artsakh to the negotiations taking place within the context of the OSCE Minsk Group,

We congratulate the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh on its 20th anniversary and call for close co-operation with its duly-elected authorities.