U.S. GOVERNMENT DISTANCES ITSELF FROM CALIFORNIAN OFFICIALS' PLANNED VISIT TO KARABAKH
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2013
17 September 2013, 14:40 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Foreign nationals continue paying illegal visits to the
Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh despite
warnings from the Baku government.
According to Armenian media reports, a delegation of Californian
officials and representatives from the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA) are expected to visit Nagorno-Karabakh.
Commenting on the reports, the U.S. embassy in Baku said the Obama
administration has nothing to do with the planned visit to the region
by Californian officials.
"We have seen media reports that a group of Californian state
officials may travel to Nagorno-Karabakh," the embassy told Trend news
agency. "The U.S. government is not involved in this reported trip."
The embassy said that the U.S. government's policy on Nagorno-Karabakh
has not changed.
"We urge all sides to work together to achieve a peaceful resolution
to the conflict," it said.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry last month released a list of foreigners
blacklisted for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku's permission.
Elman Abdullayev, head of the ministry's press service, said such
visits are illegal and damaging to peace talks between Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from
Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More
than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million displaces
by the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in
1994 but Armenia has continued the occupation in defiance of four UN
Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional
withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the US have produced no
results so far.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/59587.html
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2013
17 September 2013, 14:40 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Foreign nationals continue paying illegal visits to the
Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh despite
warnings from the Baku government.
According to Armenian media reports, a delegation of Californian
officials and representatives from the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA) are expected to visit Nagorno-Karabakh.
Commenting on the reports, the U.S. embassy in Baku said the Obama
administration has nothing to do with the planned visit to the region
by Californian officials.
"We have seen media reports that a group of Californian state
officials may travel to Nagorno-Karabakh," the embassy told Trend news
agency. "The U.S. government is not involved in this reported trip."
The embassy said that the U.S. government's policy on Nagorno-Karabakh
has not changed.
"We urge all sides to work together to achieve a peaceful resolution
to the conflict," it said.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry last month released a list of foreigners
blacklisted for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku's permission.
Elman Abdullayev, head of the ministry's press service, said such
visits are illegal and damaging to peace talks between Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from
Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More
than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million displaces
by the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in
1994 but Armenia has continued the occupation in defiance of four UN
Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional
withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the US have produced no
results so far.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/59587.html