NAGORNO-KARABAKH WAS ONCE AGAIN PRESENTED AT MOSCOW TOURISM EXHIBITION

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 17 2007

Russia, Moscow / corr. Trend R.Agayev / A separate hall of the occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was once again presented at the
Moscow tourism forum. A separate stand presented Nagorno-Karabakh as
a geographic region in the 7th International Tourism Fair which was
opened on 17 May in Moscow at the exhibition center, Trend Special
Correspondent reports.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus appeared in
1988 due to the territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Armenia has occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Since
1992 to the present time, these territories have been under the
occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia
signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the active hostilities
ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France and USA)
are holding peaceful negotiations.

One week before the Moscow forum, the Heads of the Azerbaijani
diaspora organizations (Federal National Cultural Autonomy of
the Russian Azerbaijanis, International Karabakh Foundation and
Co-ordination Council of Azerbaijani Youths) forwarded letters
to the Tourism Committee of Moscow. A letter highlighted their
powerlessness to represent Nagorno-Karabakh both as a Republic and
as an independent region. The letters recalled negative results
in the previous 6th Moscow exhibitions (13 May, 2006) where this
occupied region of Azerbaijan was presented as self-declared "
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". During the exhibition, the activists
of the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations attempted to prevent the
Armenians from presenting the hall as so-called "NGR" and this led
to controversy. The letter states that the decision on presenting
the hall as of Nagorno-Karabakh may yield negative results and
the Tourism Committee of Moscow will take responsibility for the
negative results. The representative of the Tourism Committee stated
by telephone that this time Nagorno-Karabakh will not be presented
as a republic and the stand will not reflect any status. However,
the Azerbaijani diaspora organization insisted on full liquidation
of the Nagorno-Karabakh hall.

Nagorno-Karabakh was presented in the tourism fair not as a
republic, but as a geographic region. However, the hall featured
Azerbaijani items, household items, dresses, wine are represented
by the Armenians. On 18-19 May, on par with the presentation of the
official stand of Azerbaijan, it is planned to present a separate
stand of Nagorno-Karabakh. The activists of the Azerbaijani diaspora
organizations have highlighted their intention to prevent it.