YEREVAN. – Upcoming parliamentarian elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have no relation to the peace talks, chairman of NKR Public Council Masis Mailian told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

His remark came in response to comment on the recent statement by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs that mentioned parliamentary elections in Karabakh. The Co-Chairs said they “do not accept the results of these “elections” as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“On the one hand, regular elections to the Karabakh parliament are more related to the democratic organization of internal life in NKR. And this right of the citizens of Artsakh is recognized by international mediators. On the other hand, the results of these and any other elections in Artsakh, as a result of which the state authority is formed, may affect the peace process. The rightful interests of the NKR citizens during the future peace talks can be represented by legitimate authorities only,” Mailian said. 

He added that the status of independent state is determined by NKR citizens by democratic means and cannot be a subject of speculations.