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CANADIAN MP SAYS UNAWARE OF LAW VIOLATION AFTER VISITING NAGORNO-KARABAKH
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 16 2013
16 October 2013, 13:42 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
A member of the Canadian parliament who has visited Nagorno-Karabakh,
an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia, has said he was unaware
of any violation of the Azerbaijani laws, the Azerbaijani embassy in
Canada told Trend news agency.
The member of the House of Commons from Liberal Party, Stephane Dion,
met with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Canada Farid Shafiyev.
Dion said he had accidentally visited Nagorno-Karabakh at the time
of a recent visit to Armenia, with a view to examining the situation
regarding Syrian refugees.
The Canadian MP said he does not recognize the independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh and noted that he had no information on a violation
of the Azerbaijani laws. He added that he respects Azerbaijan and
would like to be a friend of the country.
In addition, in his letter to the Azerbaijani embassy in Canada,
Dion expressed willingness to contribute to the strengthening of
friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Canada, as well as
hope for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on
the basis of the principles of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats over
visits to its territories occupied by Armenia, saying this contradicts
international law. The Foreign Ministry has stated that such visits,
paid without prior notification of the relevant authorities of
Azerbaijan, are illegal and damaging to the settlement process on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan
occupied by Armenia are deemed illegal and individuals paying such
visits are "blacklisted" by the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry released a list of 335 people declared
persona non grata over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied
territories.
Recently, four foreign citizens blacklisted by Azerbaijan's Foreign
Ministry for illegally visiting the Azerbaijani territories occupied
by Armenia were excluded from the list. They pointed out in their
appeals to Baku that they had been taken to Azerbaijan's occupied
territories by deception.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in bitter conflict for over
two decades. A precarious cease-fire has been in place since a lengthy
war in the early 1990s that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis.
Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven surrounding regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/60697.html
From: A. Papazian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 16 2013
16 October 2013, 13:42 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
A member of the Canadian parliament who has visited Nagorno-Karabakh,
an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia, has said he was unaware
of any violation of the Azerbaijani laws, the Azerbaijani embassy in
Canada told Trend news agency.
The member of the House of Commons from Liberal Party, Stephane Dion,
met with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Canada Farid Shafiyev.
Dion said he had accidentally visited Nagorno-Karabakh at the time
of a recent visit to Armenia, with a view to examining the situation
regarding Syrian refugees.
The Canadian MP said he does not recognize the independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh and noted that he had no information on a violation
of the Azerbaijani laws. He added that he respects Azerbaijan and
would like to be a friend of the country.
In addition, in his letter to the Azerbaijani embassy in Canada,
Dion expressed willingness to contribute to the strengthening of
friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Canada, as well as
hope for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on
the basis of the principles of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats over
visits to its territories occupied by Armenia, saying this contradicts
international law. The Foreign Ministry has stated that such visits,
paid without prior notification of the relevant authorities of
Azerbaijan, are illegal and damaging to the settlement process on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan
occupied by Armenia are deemed illegal and individuals paying such
visits are "blacklisted" by the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry released a list of 335 people declared
persona non grata over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied
territories.
Recently, four foreign citizens blacklisted by Azerbaijan's Foreign
Ministry for illegally visiting the Azerbaijani territories occupied
by Armenia were excluded from the list. They pointed out in their
appeals to Baku that they had been taken to Azerbaijan's occupied
territories by deception.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in bitter conflict for over
two decades. A precarious cease-fire has been in place since a lengthy
war in the early 1990s that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis.
Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven surrounding regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/60697.html
From: A. Papazian