Basque Parliament Recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh Self-Determination

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, BASQUE — On September 12, the Basque Parliament adopted a Motion about the right to self determination of Nagorno Karabakh. The Motion expresses the Basque Parliament’s support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and states that the implementation of all confidence building measures proposed by the OSCE Minsk group is a necessary condition for the settlement of the conflict. The parliament also calls on sides to withdraw snipers and activate the mechanisms for investigating ceasefire violations.

The Motion also stresses that the people of Nagorno Karabakh have a right to self-determination, and the only basis to the settlement of the conflict is through exercising this democratic right.

The Basque Parliament praises the loyalty of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to democracy and notes that the Nagorno Karabakh authorities should be part of any forum crucial for the future of the country.

Basque Parliament is the first European Union regional parliament to adopt such a resolution following several official visits to the region that were organized by European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) and the commitment of EuFoA contacts’ network.

The Motion was supported by all major political forces represented in the parliament.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Foreign Minister, Karen Mirzoyan, travelled to the Basque Country on this occasion and had official visits, including meetings with Basque country government high officials, the head of the legislative, Ms Bakartxo Tejeria Otermin, and departmental and main local authorities, as well as companies with an interest in the region.

“I am particularly pleased by the acknowledgment of the democratic governance development of Nagorno-Karabakh and the recognition of the efforts they are doing in transposing EU legislation. The Nagorno-Karabakh society should be proud that their commitment for democracy as an inalienable part of the European space is not only recognized in the US, but also in the EU,” says EuFoA Director Eduardo Lorenzo Ochoa.

The Basque country is one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities since 1979 and has a population of approximately 2.5 million people. It has its own executive and legislative institutions. The Basque government is among the sub-state governments that enjoys the highest level of competences in the European Union. Basque authorities are competent to lead policies in domains such as fiscal policy and tax collection or police management, having its own police force, among other more classic competences at regional level, such as health, education, from elementary schools to universities, or territorial development. Moreover, the Basque country has its own External Actions Service, at the head of a network of over 200 political and cultural delegations worldwide. From an economic point of view, the Basque country represents one of the European Union most developed areas, showing an annual GDP per capital of over 31 000€, 20 % higher than the EU average (25 700€).