OSCE Representatives Not To Observe Constitutional Referendum in RANovember 4, 2005 - 13:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said on Thursday that it will not send observers to Armenia to monitor the conduct of the upcoming constitutional referendum. "We have not received an invitation. We do not observe elections and referendums without receiving an invitation," OSCE spokeswoman for the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Urdur Gunnarsdottir said adding that the invitation could be sent by the President Administration, the Foreign Ministry or the Central Election Committee. According to RA MFA Press Secretary, the Ministry has no such responsibility. Officials at the National Assembly as well as the Central Election Commission insisted that it is not their job to invite foreign observers. The only European body that will watch the Armenian referendum is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). However, it emerged on Wednesday that the PACE's observation mission will comprise only a dozen members, RFE/RL reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |