AZERBAIJANI GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATES INTERNATIONAL SPORT COMPETITION TAKING PLACE IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
Azeri Press Agency
Oct 30 2008
Azerbaijan
Baku. Agshin Aliyev – APA-SPORT. International table tennis tournament
has started in Khankendi, administrative center of Nagorno Karabakh,
Azerbaijan’s territory occupied by Armenia. APA reports quoting
Novosti-Armenia agency that sportsmen from several countries
-Russia, France, Lebanon, Georgia and Armenia participate in the
tournament. The opening ceremony of the tournament was held in the
presence of Bako Saakyan, head of Nagorno Karabakh separatists. The
tournament will last for three days. The winners will receive money
prize and precious presents.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sport began investigating the
issue. Deputy Minister Ismayil Ismayilov said the tournament taking
place in Khankendi was illegal.
"This tournament is neither in the schedule of the international,
nor European table tennis federation. Nagorno Karabakh is fictitious
and the tournament taking placing there is also fictitious," he said.
Ismayilov said protest letter would be sent to the countries
participating in the tournament.
"We will send letters to the table tennis federations of these
countries and demand them to punish the sportsmen and trainers
participating in the tournament," he said.
Secretary General of Azerbaijan Table Tennis Federation Ibrahim
Efendiyev said similar competition had also been held in Nagorno
Karabakh a year before and added that the protest letter sent to
European Table Tennis Federation was not answered.
"Though we have very good relations with European Table Tennis
Federation, they could not help us last year. They said Khankendi
tournament was not held through European Table Tennis Federation. More
exactly the table tennis federation of the so-called Nagorno Karabakh
republic was not the member of any organization," he said.
Taking a stance on the participation of foreign sportsmen, as well
as sportsmen of Russia and France, co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group
dealing with the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Spokesman
for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibrahim said the issue would
be investigated and relevant measures would be taken.