{"article":{"id":256709,"heading":"New South Wales recognizes the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh","author":"Editors, &quot;Armenia&quot; newspaper, Austr","created":"2012-10-28 16:48:34","modified":"2013-11-11 01:11:23","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 08:11:23","article":"<p>SYDNEY: The Legislative Council of the New South Wales Parliament adopted a resolution recognizing the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR\/ Artsakh) and the right to self-determination of its Armenian people, who declared independence from an oppressive Azerbaijan 20 years ago. <br><br> The motion, which was unanimously adopted on Thursday 25th October,  acknowledges the 20th anniversary of independence for the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. It supports the right to self-determination of its people, and it &ldquo;calls on the Commonwealth Government [of Australia] to officially recognize the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and strengthen Australia's relationship with the Nagorno Karabakh and its citizens&rdquo;. <br><br> &ldquo;Nagorno Karabakh has been at the forefront of recent activities of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Australia. Today&rsquo;s result is a victory for all peoples who continue to remain oppressed under brutal regimes,&rdquo; remarked ANC Australia Executive Director Vache Kahramanian.  <br><br> &ldquo;The NSW Parliament has always been, and continues to be, a beacon of hope in upholding human rights. We thank all members of the Legislative Council for taking a stance to uphold the basic human right to self-determination. In particular we thank the Hon. Marie Ficarra MLC, who  introduced the resolution to the Chamber of the Legislative Council, for her courageous stance.&rdquo; <br><br> ANC Australia Honorary Chairman Greg Soghomonian said: &ldquo;The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is now receiving the status it has long deserved &ndash; an  independent, democratic republic. This is a significant milestone for the global Armenian community.  <br><br>  <br>  <br> The full text of the motion can be read below. <br><br> 1. That this House notes that 2012 marks the twentieth anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.  <br><br> 2. That this House:  <br><br> (a) acknowledges the importance of the basic human right to self-determination and a free and a democratic society,  <br><br> (b) recognizes the right to self-determination of all peoples including those of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,  <br><br> (c) notes Nagorno-Karabakh&rsquo;s sustained efforts towards creating a free and democratic society through the use of legitimate parliamentary elections and its continued efforts to develop a responsible government,  <br><br> (d) supports and encourages Nagorno-Karabakh&rsquo;s involvement within the international community and further encourages its engagement with the international community to reach a solution to the existing regional problems to establish peace and stability,  <br><br> (e) encourages peaceful relations and the continued promotion of humanitarian and economic support for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh; and  <br><br> (f) calls on the Commonwealth Government to officially recognize the independence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and strengthen Australia's relationship with the Nagorno-Karabakh and its citizens. <br><br> Caption: The President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR), Bako Sahakyan, personally extended his gratitude on behalf of his nation to the state of New South Wales. <br><br> For further details about NKR, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/armeniapedia.org\/wiki\/Nagorno-Karabakh\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/armeniapedia.org\/wiki\/Nagorno-Karabakh<\/a>  <br><br> #   #   # <br>  <br> <\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"http:\/\/www.armenia.com.au\/news\/Australia-News\/English\/16419\/Australia---s-largest-state-of-NSW-recognises-the-Republic-of-Nagorno-Karabakh","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Historically Armenian territory in Caucasus region achieves recognition of independence.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2012\/10\/bako_sahakian.jpg","filesize":"20.5 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2012\/10\/256709.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2012\/10\/bako_sahakian.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2012\/10\/bako_sahakian.jpgthumb.jpg","medium":"\/uploads\/2012\/10\/bako_sahakian.jpgmid.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}