KARABAKH LIBERATION ORGANIZATION CALLS ON AZERBAIJANIS TO PREVENT ARMENIAN WRESTLERS TO VISIT TO BAKU

Trend
11.09.2007 14:24:10

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Alizade / The Karabakh Liberation
Organization (KLO) is calling the Azerbaijanis not to allow the
Armenian wrestlers to visit Baku.

Azerbaijani coaches, wrestlers and referees should refuse to
participate in the championship, the KLO said on 10 September. The
Armenian wrestlers will participate in the championship, which will
be held in Baku from 17 to 23 September.

"We will make every effort to prevent the Armenians from participating
in this championship," the statement said. The KLO related the decision
to allow Armenians to visit to Baku as ‘dirty plans’.

"Azerbaijani sportsmen, especially the wrestlers, should not allow
Armenian sportsmen to participate in this championship and this
shameful event to appear in the country’s sports history," the
KLO urged.

The KLO was established in Baku on 28 January 2000, with the objective
of a public struggle for the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Akif Nagi,
a Ph.D candidate in history, has been elected Chairman of the KLO at
the Constituent Assembly of the organization.

KLO unites representatives of intelligentsia, refugees and internally
displaced persons (IDPs), old and young people as well as former
military soldiers. The organization has 74 departments in the regions,
cities and tent camps in Azerbaijan. Its representatives are working
in Turkey, Iran, Russia, Sweden, Germany, France, Canada, Estonia
and Iraq. KLO has more the 10,000 members.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.