1000s of people rally in Spain’s Basque to demand independence

March 28, 2016 By administrator

About 11,000 people from the indigenous Basque ethnic group have staged a rally in a northern Spanish city, calling for independence for the autonomous Basque region from Spain.

The protesters, carrying Basque flags and giant banners reading “Independence”, marched in the northern city of Pamplona in a rally organized by the Basque Independentistak (“Independence”) movement on Sunday to mobilize support for the region’s independence.

Basque has its own distinct language and culture as well as autonomy in policing and taxation.

“What we are proposing is to follow the unilateral way,” Txutxi Ariznabarreta, one of the leaders of the movement said, adding, “And that is a very important step strategy and that strategy requires people on the march.”

Spain’s Constitutional Court has already rejected a self-determination referendum for Basque.

An independence drive by Catalonia, another autonomous Spanish region, also gained momentum in recent years before becoming less assertive again.

In November 2014, Catalonia’s President Artur Mas staged a symbolic independence referendum after the government in Madrid blocked his bid to hold an official referendum. Nearly 80 percent of the 2.2 million people who took part in the vote backed secession, though the turnout was slightly more than 40 percent.

Basque Country parliament condemns Genocide, urges Turkey for recognition

April 17, 2015 By administrator

The Parliament of the Basque Country condemned the Armenian Genocide and urged Turkey for recognition. It also called for peace between Armenia and Turkey, stressing the need for the latter to face its own history.

The parliament-adopted statement expressed solidarity and respect for the families of the Genocide victims who to this day suffer repercussions of the tragedy, Abc.es reports.

The parliament called for a transparent dialogue between Armenia and Turkey for a better future which can become a possibility through justice, understanding and recognition.

Karabakh FM meets with Basque Country Parliament Speaker

September 13, 2014 By administrator

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan on Saturday visited the Basque Country Parliament, where he met with Parliament Speaker Bakartxo Tejeria Otermin.

During the meeting, Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the processes of state-building in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the international recognition of Artsakh, as well as the current stage of the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Karabakh.

The sides exchanged views on the possibilities and prospects for cooperation between the legislative bodies of Artsakh and the Basque Country.

Karen Mirzoyan handed Bakartxo Tejeria Otermin the NKR National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghulian’s invitation to visit Artsakh.

In the frameworks of the visit, Karen Mirzoyan also met with representatives of the political forces in the parliament. Touching upon the Motion about right to self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh adopted on the same day by the Basque Country Parliament, Karen Mirzoyan described it as a positive development and noted that it was yet another important manifestation of the international community’s support for the continuous efforts of the NKR to develop freely and independently. He noted that the Motion will contribute to the developing and fostering relations between the two friendly nations.

Later in the day, Karen Mirzoyan visited the city of Gernika, where he was received by Mayor of the city Jose María Gorroño.

During the meeting Karen Mirzoyan noted that he represents a country, where peaceful civilians also fell victims to a disastrous war and paid tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of Guernica.

The NKR Foreign Minister also visited the sanctuary of the Basque people Gernikako Arbola (tree of Gernika), where the oath ceremony of the Lehendakari- Presidents of the Basque Country takes place.

The city of Gernika is one of the oldest places of the Basque country. During the civil war, in 1937 the city was subjected to air bombardment and was almost completely destroyed. The famous piece by Pablo Picasso “Guernica” (1937) is devoted to this event.

Basque Country’s Gipuzkoa Province recognizes Nagorno Karabakh

September 12, 2014 By administrator

Initiated by European Friends of Armenia, the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan visited the Basque Country and met with high officials throughout the region, EuFoA press service reported.

On Thursday, September 11 Mirzoyan met with the Gipuzkoa Province President Martin Garitano in San Sebastian to discuss further cooperation between Nagorno Karabakh and the Basque Country.

During the statements of both officials, the Gipuzkoa President, on behalf of the government of Gipuzkoa, recognized the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

“The suffering of these people has to end and they deserve a free and independent country that guarantees their future as a state, and the full respect of their culture and language,” Garitano said.

Mirzoyan also took the time to speak to the human rights and international cooperation departments of Gipuzkoa’s government.

He additionally met with representatives of a hydroelectric engineering company as well as an agricultural company.

The province of Gipuzkoa is one of the three provinces of the Basque Country with San Sebastian as the capital. Although Gipuzkoa is the smallest province in Spain, it has over 700 000 inhabitants, a third of the Basque population. The economy of the province is mostly structured around three pillars: trade, metallurgy and tourism. With an annual GDP per capita of about 32 000 Euros, Gipuzkoa tops the EU average by 28%.

This is the first time a European territory at sub-state level has recognized Nagorno Karabakh, following the path of several U.S. States as well as Australia’s New South Wales.

Source: PanARMENIAN.Net

A Basque representative calling for the independence of Artsakh

May 16, 2014 By administrator

The peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh by the realization of the right to self-determination is an important issue said MEP Irazabalbeitia Inaki Fernandez in Yerevan. Member of the European Parliament, representing the Basque Country of Spain, visited Artsakh in the previous days.

Sharing impressions of his visit, the MP said that his party (Greens / European Free Alliance) has long been fighting for independence for the Basque Country and will do the same for Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that “self-determination is the most important democratic right. “

“I think raising the issue of the recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh in the European Parliament could be a first step,” said Fernandez.“The initiatives must come from all parties, including the Minsk Group of the OSCE.”

Asked about his thoughts for the fact of being “blacklisted” by Azerbaijan for visiting Artsakh, the representative stated that his Basque party has a very clear position on all issues relating to self-determination and they don ‘ not afraid to be included in the “black list” of Azerbaijan.

A member of the Spanish Parliament, Iñárritu Garcia Fernandez accompanied on his trip to Armenia and Artsakh. Garcia told the press that he considers the Armenian people’s right to self-determination as the most important democratic right. Speaking of the visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, he said: “We saw a country committed to European values, who aspire to new values, and better than some member states of the Council of Europe.”

EU lawmakers stressed that the Nagorno-Karabakh must be recognized by the international community as in the case of Kosovo.