US AND SWISS ASTRONAUTS ON AZERBAIJAN’S ‘BLACKLIST’
China Daily
Sept 19 2012
China
BAKU – The former United States astronaut Charles Duke and Swiss
astronaut Claude Nicollier will be included in Azerbaijan’s blacklist,
spokesman of the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told
media on Tuesday.
According to Abdullayev, the two astronauts will be denied visit
to Azerbaijan, as they have traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh, a region
which is officially part of Azerbaijan, but under Armenian control,
without the approval of Azerbaijan.
“Traveling to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without a
permission of Azerbaijan is illegal,” he said.
He explained that those who visited Nagorno-Karabakh and seven
surrounding regions of Azerbaijan occupied by neighboring Armenia
will be included in the “list of undesirable persons”.
According to the Armenian media, Duke and Nicollier traveled to
Nagorno Karabakh to take part in the conference titled “Human and
Space” on Sept 16.
The landlocked mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the subject
of an unresolved dispute between Azerbaijan, in which it lies, and
its Armenian majority, backed by neighboring Armenia.
In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani troops and
Armenian secessionists began a bloody war which left this region in
the hands of Armenians when a truce was signed in 1994.
Negotiations have so far failed to produce a permanent peace agreement,
and the dispute remains one of post-Soviet Europe’s “frozen conflicts”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2012/09/20/us-and-swiss-astronauts-on-azerbaijans-blacklist/
