Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 22
Trend:
Members of the US House of Representatives David Valadao, Frank Pallone and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's list of undesirable persons, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend Sept. 22.
Valadao, Pallone and Gabbard illegally visited the Azerbaijani territories occupied by the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, as well as its “Law on exit from the country, entry into the country, and passports” and “Law on the State Border of Azerbaijan”.
Hajiyev said that by this illegal visit, the members of the House of Representatives, violating the norms and principles of international law and the Helsinki Final Act, justify and support the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, the bloody ethnic cleansing of more than a million Azerbaijani civilians in the occupied territories, and aggressive separatism.
“Unfortunately, by such illegal and biased behavior, these individuals taint the image of the US Congress in the eyes of the Azerbaijani and international public,” he added.
“These acts, committed jointly with Armenia and the Armenian lobby, nullify the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group – which includes the US – aimed at ensuring sustainable peace in the region and resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Hajiyev said.
“By their actions these individuals have repeatedly proved that they are under the influence of the Armenian lobby operating in the US, in particular, under the financial influence of such a radical and racist organization as the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),” he added.
“Relevant ethical committees of the Congress must investigate the financial conditions whereby these visits have been made.”
“We also call on other members of the House of Representatives who are guided by spiritual and moral values, the rule of law at the national and international level, and their voters,” Hajiyev said. “We urge to correctly assess and condemn the acts of Valadao, Pallone and Gabbard.”