By Rashid Shirinov

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in his last statement has called on foreigners to violate international law and Azerbaijani laws, urging for illegal visits to Azerbaijan’s occupied territories, which in itself is a crime, said Hikmat Hajiyev.

“Armenia encourages foreigners, particularly politicians, to illegally visit the occupied Azerbaijani territories in exchange for funding, as well as by blackmail or fraud, and then turns them into tools of political propaganda,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman said.

Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and any individuals paying such visits are included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's list of undesirable persons. Baku continues the work to prevent such illegal actions, and the foreign citizens should keep their eyes peeled in order not to be deceived by Armenian occupiers.

The recent story with arrest of blogger Alexander Lapshin due to his illegal visits to Azerbaijan's lands occupied by Armenia has shown what non-compliance with the Azerbaijani laws may lead to.  However, still Armenian authorities encourage foreigners to visit the occupied Azerbaijani lands, by breaching the international law.

Hajiyev noted that Azerbaijan informs the international community about the illegality and legal consequences of such visits, using the list of undesirable persons, preparing a report on illegal economic and other activities of Armenia in the occupied territories and other similar actions, including those related to the case of Alexander Lapshin, allowed exposing the policy pursued by Armenia to organize illegal visits to the occupied territories.

"As a result, the number of such visits has declined significantly," Hajiyev said.

He added that many people, who were deceived and became victims of Armenia’s illegal actions, then appealed to the Azerbaijani side, apologizing for their actions, and requested removal of their names from the list.

The spokesman said that many world countries call to avoid illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories on the websites of their foreign ministries, and warn about the legal liability of such visits.

"Now, to justify itself, the Armenian side is trying to organize single visits of persons of Armenian origin from abroad and people directly connected with the Armenian lobby," Hajiyev added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.