STEPANAKERT (Noyan Tapan–RFE/RL)–A few hours following Tuesday’s session of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic parliament–the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of Karabakh issued a statement criticizing the republic’s leadership and calling on President Arkady Ghoukassian to take immediate measures to restore democracy.
The statement noted the achievemen’s of the republic’s leadership in recent years–but also charged that it has deviated from the course of national unity and democracy–and has thus "partially exhausted its potential." As a result–the statement continued–a government crisis has emerged.
The statement said that the future development of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the preservation of its achievemen’s in building an independent state depend on the revival of democracy and human rights.
It called on President Ghoukassian to take immediate steps to this end. Those steps include pre-term parliamentary elections–immediate changes in the composition of the government–elections to local government bodies–implementing an active policy of economic development–and accelerating the resettlement of the "liberated territories."
The statement concluded with an expression of confidence that Ghoukassian will remain committed to the "highest interests" of the republic and to preserving "victories won with blood."