Spain: Catalonia’s lawmakers give nod to independence referendum

September 7, 2017 By administrator

Catalan lawmakers have passed a law that paves the way for a referendum on independence from the rest of Spain. The vote, which Madrid says would be illegal, could lead to a deep constitutional crisis.

Catalonia’s regional parliament on Wednesday gave the green light for legislation that would allow a referendum to take place in the northeastern Spanish region.

The vote passed comfortably, with 72 pro-independence members of the Catalan parliament backing the “referendum bill” after more than 11 hours of impassioned debate.

Eleven lawmakers abstained from voting, while 52 opposition members of parliament walked out in protest before the vote was even taken.

The law was passed despite a ruling in February by Spain’s constitutional court, declaring it would be unconstitutional. Under the current constitution, only the central government has the right to call such a referendum.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s cabinet was expected to immediately sign a decree for the vote to take place on October 1.

After the bill was passed, separatist lawmakers clapped sang the Catalan anthem Els Segadors, which remembers a 1640 revolt against Spain’s Habsburg monarchy.

Court challenge likely

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was understood to have immediately requested a report on the Catalan legislation from the State Council, and was expected to call an urgent cabinet meeting and challenge the regional bill through an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Catalonia’s parliament was holding a “fake debate.” She said that the vote had breached parliamentary procedures and that it was an “act of force” characteristic of “dictatorial regimes.”

Meanwhile, public prosecutors announced they were seeking criminal charges against Generalitat speaker Carme Forcadell for allowing the vote to take place.

Forcadell responded with derision to news that she might be charged. “This is the notion democracy of the institutions of state. At parliament we will continue to guarantee that you can always talk about everything.”

No-confidence vote?

The leader of the opposition Ciudadanos (Citizens) party, Ines Arrimadas, immediately announced that she would seek support for a no-confidence vote against Puigdemont, with the aim of forcing new regional elections.

The bill went ahead without the customary vetting of a legal committee. However, Puigdemont has claimed that his government has a democratic mandate to seek a binding referendum based on the principle that a people have a right to self-determination under international law.

Catalonia’s regional government staged a symbolic independence referendum in 2014. More than 80 percent of participants voted to split from Spain, although only 2.3 million of Catalonia’s 5.4 million eligible voters took part.

On Tuesday, Spain’s Court of Auditors ruled that former Catalan president Artur Mas should repay 5.1 million euros ($6.1 million) in public funds that it cost to hold that vote.

The vote was held three weeks after Islamist attacks in Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital, and a nearby seaside resort, which killed 16 people and wounded more than 120.

rc/bw (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Artsakh marks 26 years since independence

September 2, 2017 By administrator

(Artsakh) is marking the 26th anniversary of its independence on Saturday, September 2, with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan participating in celebratory events in Karabakh.

Artsakh president Bako Sahakyan in a message on Saturday congratulated the people of Karabakh, reminding of their historical decision to determine their own destiny and build a free, independent, democratic, legal and social state.

“During those years together with our sisters and brothers from Armenia and the Diaspora we have managed to realize numerous strategic programs, which day by day bring us closer to attaining our cherished national goals, further strengthen and develop our country,” Sahakyan said.

“I am confident the civilized and progressive world will sooner or later recognize this equitable and lawful resolution of the Artsakh people, will not hesitate to admit the prevailing realities that demonstrate our adherence to universal human values and commitment to international norms and principles.”

Also, Sargsyan delivered remarks on Artsakh’s Independence Day, stating that the country has evolved successfully to become a solid, free and democratic state.

Spain: Catalonia promises ‘immediate’ independence from Spain post-referendum

July 5, 2017 By administrator

Catalonia independence from Spain ,Catalonia’s leaders have put forward a bill supposedly ensuring that an independence referendum will take place even without Madrid’s backing. The vote is planned for October 1, but questions remain over its credibility.

Catalonia will declare independence “immediately” should the majority of voters choose to secede from Spain in a referendum scheduled for late this year, according to a new bill unveiled Tuesday by the separatist-led regional government.

According to Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont, the new bill is seeking to extract the northeastern region from Spain’s legal system.

However, doubts continue about the credibility of such a vote.

Catalonian lawmakers hope that by passing the bill in the regional parliament next month, Catalonia’s government will be allowed to circumvent any legal or practical challenges raised by the central government in Madrid against the referendum. Essentially, legislation related to the referendum would become “supreme law” and take precedence over all other legislation.

“A decisive vote will be held on October 1; we will respect the vote,” Puigdemont said. Gabriela Serra, a member of Catalonia’s separatist coalition, said that if voters choose to split from Spain, “obviously independence will have to be declared immediately.” The bill to pull Catalonia out of Spain’s legal system will be submitted to a vote in the regional parliament in August.

The bill also outlined the question voters will be asked in the referendum: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of a republic?”

Pushback from Madrid

Despite calls from regional lawmakers for the bill, if passed, to be legally binding, any vote on independence would face heavy pushback from Spain’s central government.

Xavier Garcia Albiol, the head of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party in Catalonia, called the upcoming referendum “a coup d’etat dressed up as democracy.”

Despite years of pressure on Madrid to approve an independence referendum, Spain’s central government has always remained steadfast in its opposition to Catalonia’s regional government on the issue.

Spain’s Constitutional Court has previously quashed Catalonia’s resolution to hold a referendum. The court and Spanish government have also warned Catalonian officials that they could face legal repercussions and sanctions if they help to organize the vote.

Catalonia held a nonbinding vote on independence in 2014. While a massive 80 percent voted in favor, turnout was low, with only 2.2 million out of 5.4 million potential voters casting their ballots.

Catalan government faces internal pressures

Despite showing optimism over the proposed bill, President Puigdemont is under pressure from within his own party over the viability of the referendum.

On Monday, he fired a senior member of his government for openly expressing doubts about the vote.

Question marks over the credibility of the vote have also made it difficult for Catalonia’s government to secure ballot boxes for the referendum. The Spanish government has already warned that any company involved could face punitive action.

Iran opposes Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum

June 10, 2017 By administrator

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi (Ghasemi). Photo: ISNA

TEHRAN,— Iran voiced its opposition on Saturday to an announcement by Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region that it will organise a vote on independence later this year.

“Iran’s principal position is to support the territorial integrity of Iraq,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

“The Kurdistan region is part of the Iraqi republic and unilateral decisions outside the national and legal framework, especially the Iraqi constitution… can only lead to new problems.”

Iraqi Kurdish leaders announced on Wednesday that they will organise an independence referendum on September 25, not only in their three-province autonomous region but also in other historically Kurdish-majority areas they have long sought to incorporate in it.

Iran worries about separatism among its own Kurds, most of whom live in Iranian Kurdistan, the areas along the border with Iraqi Kurdistan.

Rebels of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) launch sporadic attacks into Iran from rear-bases in Iraq, triggering sometimes deadly clashes with the security forces.

After an upsurge attacks in 2011, Iranian troops launched a cross-border incursion, forcing KDPI to retreat deeper into Iraqi Kurdistan.

The federal government in Baghdad is deeply opposed to the referendum plan of the regional government in Erbil, as is neighbouring Turkey, which has a large and restive Kurdish minority of its own.

Washington has expressed concern that it could distract from the joint fight against the Islamic State group by stoking tensions between the Kurds, and Arabs and Turkmen in northern Iraq.

“An integrated, stable and democratic Iraq guarantees the interests of the whole people (of Iraq) from all ethnic and religious groups,” Ghasemi said.

“Today, Iraq more than ever needs peace and national unity and differences between Erbil and Baghdad must be resolved within the framework of dialogue and in compliance with Iraq’s constitution.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday “Russia supports Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity, provided that the legal rights of all ethnic and religious groups are respected, while the Kurds are one of those groups,”

Turkey called a plan by Iraqi Kurds to hold a referendum on independence a “grave mistake“, saying on Friday that Iraq’s territorial integrity and political unity was a fundamental principle for Ankara.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the decision “irresponsible”, adding that Ankara championed Iraq’s territorial integrity.

German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, expressed concerns by his country on Thursday against Kurdish government’s decision to hold a referendum.

“We can only warn against one-sided steps on this issue. The unity of Iraq is on the line,” Gabriel said as quoted by German media outlets. “Redrawing the lines of the state is not the right way and could exacerbate an already difficult and unstable situation, in Erbil as well as Baghdad.” Gabriel said.

Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s political parties, not including the Change Movement (Gorran) and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) came to an agreement on Wednesday to hold the referendum on the region’s independence this year on September 25.

Iraqi government rejects Kurdish move for independence

June 10, 2017 By administrator

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi said in April he respected the Kurdish right to vote on independence, but didn’t think the timing was right [Reuters]

Baghdad government says unilateral moves for independence unconstitutional two days after Kurds announce referendum.

The Iraqi government has said it would reject any unilateral move by Kurdish regional authorities to press for independence, according to a spokesman in the capital, Baghdad.

The statement on Friday comes two days after Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), announced that a referendum on Kurdish independence would be held on September 25.

“No party can, on its own, decide the fate of Iraq, in isolation from the other parties,” Saad al-Haddithi, Iraqi government spokesman, said in a statement.

“Iraq is constitutionally a democratic, federal country with full sovereignty … Any measure from any side in Iraq should be based on the constitution,” Haddithi said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said in April that he respected the Kurdish right to vote on independence, but he did not think the timing was right for the move.

The referendum on whether to secede from Iraq is planned to be held in the three governorates that make up the Kurdish region, and in the areas that are disputed by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments but are currently under Kurdish military control.

The disputed areas include swaths of northern territory that are claimed by both Kurdish Iraq and Baghdad, including the key oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

‘Terrible mistake’

Opposition in Baghdad to Kurdish Iraq becoming independent would become even greater if the region tried to take disputed territory along with it.

Turkey also came out against the referendum on Friday, calling the plan a “terrible mistake”.

“The maintenance of Iraq’s territorial integrity and political unit is one of the fundamental principles of Turkey’s Iraq policy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

States that neighbour Iraq, including Turkey, as well as Syria and Iran, and which all have large and sometimes restive Kurdish populations, have in the past resisted moves towards Kurdish independence.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence in Tehran

May 12, 2017 By administrator

Photo exhibition entitled “The Newly Independent State of the Centuries-Old Armenia” opened on Thursday at Ararat Culture Center in Tehran, Iran. As the “Menq” Foundation for popularization of state and national values reported in a statement, the exhibition was opened on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

The 160 photos portray the major events that have taken place in the public, cultural, economic, political and scientific sectors of Armenia between the years 1990 and 2016.

Earlier in 2016 the exhibition was displayed in Yerevan, Los-Angeles, and Paris.

New Karabakh poll shows highest support for independence

November 18, 2016 By administrator

karabakh-front New figures confirm that security is the main concern for the people of Nagorno Karabakh, and that combined support for independence or unification with Armenia has grown from 91.7% in 2015 to 95.1% in 2016.

Hovhannes Grigoryan, CEO of the Institute for Political and Sociological Consulting (IPSC), presented the results of a new opinion poll on socio-economic developments, public perceptions of foreign affairs, international recognition, and Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution.

The poll was conducted in July 2016 (shortly after the Four-Day War) and involved 1,081 people in Stepanakert and the 7 regions of Karabakh, and cross-referenced with a similar survey conducted in March 2015.

The figures show an increase in the number of people who believe Karabakh should be independent, compared to those who prefer it become a part of Armenia. An even more significant trend was observed among the younger and the educated, who support independence in a much higher proportion (61.2% of population between 18 and 30 years and 53.6% of the university-educated support independence).

Furthermore, public’s approval of Government’s performance in the sectors of Defence and Foreign Affairs has decreased, while the perception that Karabakh is on the right track is still considerably high at 78.9% percent.

The issue of peace and security remains the predominant concern for half of the people of Karabakh, followed by unemployment and international recognition of the Republic. Despite these concerns, declared intentions for migration remain at a very low level.

Spain: Catalonia approves independence referendum

October 7, 2016 By administrator

catalonia-independence One of Spain’s richest regions, Catalonia has repeatedly fought Madrid over its right to secede. Regional president Puigdemont has vowed to proceed with the referendum even without Spain’s blessing.

Catalonia’s parliament approved an independence referendum vote on Thursday in spite of tensions with Madrid, which has argued that the prosperous region has no legal ground for full autonomy. The referendum it set to take place next September.

The move marks another setback for acting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has been engaged in a deepening standoff with Catalan separatists. His conservative People’s Party has repeatedly rejected requests from Barcelona to hold an independence vote, going so far as to ask the Constitutional Court to annul a July resolution from the Catalonian parliament to pursue independence.

After Thursday’s vote, the Constitutional Court said it was looking into whether it could file suit against the Catalonian parliament speaker for allowing the vote to take place.

Regional president Carles Puigdemont said last week that he was still up for negotiating whether the referendum would be legally binding or not, but that he would hold it with or without Madrid’s permission.

Puigdemont is riding a wave of support after a comfortably winning a parliamentary confidence vote last Thursday meant to shore up approval for the independence movement. According to recent polls, around 48 percent of Catalans support secession, though that number is down a few percentage points from a few years ago.

es/bw (AFP, Reuters)

EU congratulates the Republic of Armenia on 25th Independence Day

September 21, 2016 By administrator

eu-armenia The European Union congratulated the Republic of Armenia and its people on the 25th anniversary of its independence.

“The Republic of Armenia has undergone profound developments in these past years and we as the European Union look forward to continuing to work closely with the country in the future. The European Union has and will continue to support the development of strong democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic prosperity, for the benefit of all citizens.

We look forward to the future EU-Armenia Agreement, which would, alongside our engagement in the Eastern Partnership framework, enable the European Union to enhance our dialogue with the Armenian authorities, to support them in their reform efforts and to increase our contacts with the population,” reads the EU congratulatory message .

Solemn awarding ceremony held on the occasion of 25th anniversary of the NKR proclamation

September 15, 2016 By administrator

karabakh-25th-independent Solemn awarding ceremony took place on September 15 at the Artsakh Republic President’s residence in connection with the 25th anniversary of the NKR proclamation, information department of Artsakh President’s Office reported.

President Sahakyan congratulated all the awardees noting that a number of awarding ceremonies would take place in this jubilee year.

The Head of the State underlined that an independent, strong and sovereign state is an exclusive value and the most reliable guarantee of our people’s security and its survival. “I am confident that we will have new successes and achievements. I am sure because our people has an unshakable spirit, steadfast will, great diligence and optimism that are displayed both in the battlefield and peacetime”, noted Bako Sahakyan.

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, NKR National Assembly chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, prime minister Arayik Haroutyunyan and other officials partook at the event.