Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 21
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
The Member of German Parliament Albert Weiler made illegal visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in 2014 and 2016, and therefore his name has been included in the list of "undesirable persons" since that period, the Spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend Aug. 21.
He was commenting on the reports in the "Bild" newspaper about the ban on the entry of the German MP into the territory of Azerbaijan.
"It has been noted in some foreign media that as if his name were included in this list as late as now. This is incorrect information, as Albert Weiler has been in the list of "undesirable persons" since 2014. This man has made illegal visits to the territory of Azerbaijan, occupied by the armed forces of Armenia," Hajiyev said.
The spokesman stressed that it is necessary to respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty, laws of other countries, and in this context, the illegal visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are unacceptable.
Hajiyev added that at the same time Azerbaijan takes a constructive position on this issue, and if the persons who do not conduct activities directly against Azerbaijan, send letters of apology and express respect for the territorial integrity and laws of Azerbaijan, the exclusion of their names from the list of "undesirable persons" may be considered.
"If this person will address us, we can consider this case, but such addresses from him haven’t been received so far. Therefore, a ban has been applied on his entry into the territory of Azerbaijan," the spokesman of the foreign ministry said.
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.