Sergey Markedonov, the head of international relations department of the institute of RF Political and Military Analyses thinks so.
The latter was the member of delegation of Russian observers for Nagorno Karabagh elections who highly appreciated the civil transfer of the authorities. He emphasized during the press conference in Stepanakert that this authority was changed without velvet revolution or by right of succession like other neigbor countries. Sergey Markedonov also told that the NKR elections weren\’t predicted beforehand. And Mr. Markedonov thinks that Armenia should follow the NKR\’s example: Post Soviet Armenia is based on Karabagh ground, and the fact that the democratic process is being successfully achieved, nobody can be indifferent and ignore this circumstance. The Karabagh scale will be very important for Yerevan; I mean the prospect of 2008».
«Aravot» tried to find out from Mr. Markedonov whether Armenia corresponds to certain standards of democracy, so it should learn something from Karabagh. «I mean that the last elections of Armenia held in 2003, were full of frauds, and the international community gave not equal response to the elections. The problem is to hold more qualitative elections not to cause problematic issues as Armenia is a bad condition: we speak of isolation, blockade etc. We shouldn\’t receive penalty remarks from the international community. It isn\’t also a secret that several forces of Armenia are ready to hold presidential elections by a greater administrative interference, more control of the authority party etc. But not the whole elite want this. Pragmatic people understand that democracy shouldn\’t be an abstract thing but a pragmatic value to overcome the isolation, which exist. Karabagh is a very important ideological symbol for Armenia. Undoubtedly, the part of elite which is for the more transparency and democracy has an opportunity to establish this direction also in Armenia».