Former Canadian parliamentarian Jim Karygiannis will be visiting Artsakh in the upcoming week to serve as an international observer in the republic’s constitutional referendum that is set to be held on February 20, 2017, Horizon Weekly reported.

A long-time supporter of Artsakh’s independence and its people’s right to self-determination, Mr. Karygiannis is visiting Artsakh at the request of the Armenian National Committee of Canada.

Previously and as recent as 2012, Mr. Karygiannis led a team of Canadian Election Observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Artsakh. In a statement released after the elections, he explicitly stated; “It was a picture-perfect election from start to finish and witnessing the election process in a new democracy was a positive learning experience. I also met with government officials, residents of Nagorno Karabakh and members of the Canadian Diaspora who were visiting and learned more about the challenges facing this Artsakh”.

Mr. Karygiannis’ timely visit to Artsakh is yet another indication that the young republic is a democratic and a fully functioning state, with a thriving market economy and an active civil society, that is striving to achieve its freedom and the formal recognition of its independence.