Armenia blocks Turkish election observers

5/7/2007
Turkish Press

YEREVAN - Armenia said on Monday it had refused visas to eight Turkish election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe who were due to monitor parliamentary polls.

"We do not consider it proper that Turkish representatives carry out monitoring in Armenia... due to the lack of diplomatic relations," between the two countries, foreign ministry spokesman Vladimir Karapetyan told AFP.

The two neighbours have no diplomatic relations and their common border has remained closed for more than a decade.

Armenia, an ex-Soviet state in the Caucasus mountains, holds parliamentary elections on Saturday.

A top official at the Vienna-based OSCE said Monday that he was concerned about Armenia's decision.

"Preventing some observers from participating contradicts the principles of transparency and objectivity which are an indispensable aspect of democratic elections," OSCE director for democratic institutions Christian Strohal said in a statement.

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