Nagorno-Karabakh authorities arrest suspected Azerbaijani spy

AP Worldstream
May 13, 2005

Police and security officers in Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian
enclave in Azerbaijan, arrested a local resident on suspicion of
spying for Azerbaijan, the national security service said Friday.

The suspect, whom it did not identify, is alleged to have periodically
gave Azerbaijan’s special services information containing state
secrets. The suspect faces from 10 to 15 years in prison.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since
the early 1990s, following fighting that killed an estimated 30,000
people. A cease-fire was signed in 1994, but the enclave’s final
political status has not been determined and shooting breaks out
frequently. The enclave is backed by Armenia.

In the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the Economic Development Ministry
said Friday that Azerbaijan had lost up to US$38.5 million
(A‚¬30.47 million) due to the conflict, including US$10
million-US$12 million (A‚¬7.9 million-A‚¬9.5 million) in
lost revenues. Azerbaijan is home to up to 1 million refugees who fled
Nagorno-Karabakh.