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ILLEGAL VISITS TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH VIOLATION OF INT'L LAW
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2014
26 September 2014, 20:53 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Any visit to Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan's permission is a
flagrant violation of international law and national legislation. Now
Armenia aims to legalize the occupation of Azerbaijani territories
with organizing visits of foreign citizens and parliamentarians to
these territories.
Chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs (CSSN) under the
President of Azerbaijan, Azay Guliyev made the remark while addressing
an international conference called "Legal consequences of illegal
visits to the occupied territories of Eastern Partnership countries".
The conference was held with the financial support of the CSSN in
Tbilisi, Georgia on September 26.
Guliyev said Armenia has been organizing visits of foreign nationals
including parliamentarians, to the occupied Azerbaijani territories
in recent years.
He noted that Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declares the violators
persona non grata and include their names on a special list.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan
occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and the individuals
who pay such visits are included in Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's
"black list".
Earlier, Baku blacklisted the German MPs for their illegal visit to
Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
The Foreign Ministry in 2013 released a list of 335 people declared
'persona non grata' over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied
territories. Some of these people were removed from the list after
appealing to the Azerbaijani government.
"Unfortunately, among those included in the list, there are MPs from
the member states countries of European Union, as well as members
of the French delegation to PACE that violated Azerbaijani and
international law. This is unacceptable. Especially, as co-chair of
OSCE Minsk Group, France should prevent such actions, if it wants to
act from the position of an independent, honest broker," Guliyev said.
He further noted that the individuals who illegally crossed the
state border shall be criminally responsible in accordance with
the Azerbaijani laws and the foreigners, who illegally visit
Nagorno-Karabakh, should take it into account.
Along with the illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories,
some foreign companies often get engaged in economic activities there,
Guliyev added.
"This is another flagrant violation of international law. There is
also evidence of sales in the EU member states of goods produced
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which is contrary to
international law," Guliyev noted.
He went on to say that the only way out of the current deadlockis the
liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of
displaced persons to their homes.
Along with representatives of the UN, PACE and EU officials, the
officials from Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and other countries of the
"Eastern Partnership" took part in the conference.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats about
visits to its territories that are occupied by Armenia, calling it
contradictory to international laws.
Baku has stated that such visits, paid without prior notification to
the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan, are illegal and damage the
settlement process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing
of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were
killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale
hostilities. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20
percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven surrounding regions.
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2014
26 September 2014, 20:53 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Any visit to Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan's permission is a
flagrant violation of international law and national legislation. Now
Armenia aims to legalize the occupation of Azerbaijani territories
with organizing visits of foreign citizens and parliamentarians to
these territories.
Chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs (CSSN) under the
President of Azerbaijan, Azay Guliyev made the remark while addressing
an international conference called "Legal consequences of illegal
visits to the occupied territories of Eastern Partnership countries".
The conference was held with the financial support of the CSSN in
Tbilisi, Georgia on September 26.
Guliyev said Armenia has been organizing visits of foreign nationals
including parliamentarians, to the occupied Azerbaijani territories
in recent years.
He noted that Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declares the violators
persona non grata and include their names on a special list.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan
occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and the individuals
who pay such visits are included in Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's
"black list".
Earlier, Baku blacklisted the German MPs for their illegal visit to
Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
The Foreign Ministry in 2013 released a list of 335 people declared
'persona non grata' over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied
territories. Some of these people were removed from the list after
appealing to the Azerbaijani government.
"Unfortunately, among those included in the list, there are MPs from
the member states countries of European Union, as well as members
of the French delegation to PACE that violated Azerbaijani and
international law. This is unacceptable. Especially, as co-chair of
OSCE Minsk Group, France should prevent such actions, if it wants to
act from the position of an independent, honest broker," Guliyev said.
He further noted that the individuals who illegally crossed the
state border shall be criminally responsible in accordance with
the Azerbaijani laws and the foreigners, who illegally visit
Nagorno-Karabakh, should take it into account.
Along with the illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories,
some foreign companies often get engaged in economic activities there,
Guliyev added.
"This is another flagrant violation of international law. There is
also evidence of sales in the EU member states of goods produced
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which is contrary to
international law," Guliyev noted.
He went on to say that the only way out of the current deadlockis the
liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of
displaced persons to their homes.
Along with representatives of the UN, PACE and EU officials, the
officials from Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and other countries of the
"Eastern Partnership" took part in the conference.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats about
visits to its territories that are occupied by Armenia, calling it
contradictory to international laws.
Baku has stated that such visits, paid without prior notification to
the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan, are illegal and damage the
settlement process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing
of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were
killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale
hostilities. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20
percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven surrounding regions.