Azerbaijan appeals to FIDE to prevent Karabakh-hosted chess tournament
ANS Radio, Baku
23 Mar 05
The Armenians are trying to stage yet another international chess
tournament in Nagornyy Karabakh. Azerbaijan has appealed to FIDE in
this connection.
The appeal addressed to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said that
it was inadmissible to hold the chess tournament in Azerbaijan’s
occupied territories which would be in breach of the international law.
The president of the Azerbaijani Chess Federation, Aynur Safiyeva,
said the main goal of her organization is to prevent the Armenians
from holding the international chess tournament in the occupied
Nagornyy Karabakh region again.
The appeal also said that Nagornyy Karabakh and other territories
occupied by Armenia were historically part of Azerbaijan and became
uncontrollable after the occupation, Azartac reported.
The Armenians held a similar tournament last year as well. Then the
Azerbaijani Chess Federation appealed to FIDE and other organizations
which helped to invalidate the tournament as an international event.
The Azerbaijani Chess Federation and the Ministry of Youth, Sports
and Tourism have now appealed to FIDE and other international bodies
to prevent the Armenians from holding a chess tournament in Karabakh.