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CAPITOL ALERT: IN OVERSEAS VISIT, JOE SIMITIAN BLACK-LISTED BY AZERBAIJAN
Sacramento Bee
Oct 4 2011
CA
State Sen. Joe Simitian has been black-listed by the Azerbaijani
government after traveling to a separatist region while on a diplomatic
visit, an Azerbaijani official said this afternoon.
Simitian, D-Palo Alto, was among a group of California senators
visiting the Middle East. The delegation, which included Sens. Ellen
Corbett, Curren Price, Mark DeSaulnier, Ted Lieu and Bob Huff, made at
least one stop in the Iraq city of Arbil and was scheduled to return
home Wednesday.
Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general in Los Angeles, said that
after meeting with Azerbaijani officials in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital
city, Simitian took an unannounced, personal trip to Nagorno-Karabakh,
a predominately ethnic Armenian region and the center of a longstanding
dispute.
The visit violated Azerbaijani rules requiring permission to travel
to the region, Suleymanov said.
Simitian is "basically black-listed ... will not be allowed back,"
he said.
"I was very disappointed, because it was a very successful visit,"
Suleymanov said. "The visit has become somewhat marred by this."
Simitian's office said this afternoon that the senator was traveling
today and would address the matter when he returns.
Torey Van Oot of The Bee's Capitol Bureau contributed to this report
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/10/in-overseas-visit-joe-simitian-black-listed-by-azerbaijan.html
From: Baghdasarian
Sacramento Bee
Oct 4 2011
CA
State Sen. Joe Simitian has been black-listed by the Azerbaijani
government after traveling to a separatist region while on a diplomatic
visit, an Azerbaijani official said this afternoon.
Simitian, D-Palo Alto, was among a group of California senators
visiting the Middle East. The delegation, which included Sens. Ellen
Corbett, Curren Price, Mark DeSaulnier, Ted Lieu and Bob Huff, made at
least one stop in the Iraq city of Arbil and was scheduled to return
home Wednesday.
Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general in Los Angeles, said that
after meeting with Azerbaijani officials in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital
city, Simitian took an unannounced, personal trip to Nagorno-Karabakh,
a predominately ethnic Armenian region and the center of a longstanding
dispute.
The visit violated Azerbaijani rules requiring permission to travel
to the region, Suleymanov said.
Simitian is "basically black-listed ... will not be allowed back,"
he said.
"I was very disappointed, because it was a very successful visit,"
Suleymanov said. "The visit has become somewhat marred by this."
Simitian's office said this afternoon that the senator was traveling
today and would address the matter when he returns.
Torey Van Oot of The Bee's Capitol Bureau contributed to this report
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/10/in-overseas-visit-joe-simitian-black-listed-by-azerbaijan.html
From: Baghdasarian