Yesterday The Washington Post published Nagorno Karabakh Republic representative Vardan Barseghian’s letter to the editor, written in response to a January 12 article entitled, “Town’s Defiance an Unexpected Test for Azerbaijan”. The representative commends The Post for its honest assessment of the state of democracy in Azerbaijan. The letter notes that president Heydar Aliyev and the dynasty, threatening Nagorno-Karabakh with a new war and the region with greater instability, often use the war as a pretext to strengthen their dictatorial grip on power. Economic development, energy transportation routes, and peace and stability in the strategic South Caucasus heavily depend on shared values and friendship among neighbors in the region, including de facto immediate neighbors Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, Barseghian’s letter says. Hopefully, with U.S. encouragement, commitment to true democracy and respect for human rights will be our common guideposts along this road, the representative’s message notes.
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