Baku, Azerbaijan, July 7
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry will investigate the fact of illegal stay of Russian businessman German Sterligov and his family members in Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend July 7.
"This person has illegally visited Azerbaijan's occupied territories by violating Azerbaijan's law on state border," he said. "In accordance with the procedures and the results of the investigation, his name will be included in the ministry's list of personas non grata."
German Sterligov left Russia and went to Nagorno-Karabakh, the businessman's lawyer told BBC July 6. Sterligov put up his livestock and vehicle fleet for sale before leaving.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI
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