Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 21
Trend:
The name of German journalist Von Elian Ehrenreich will be added to the list of undesirable people, Hikmet Hajiyev, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend Nov. 21.
Die Welt newspaper published an article, written by Ehrenreich following an illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
"The Azerbaijani embassy in Germany will inform Die Welt editorial staff and investigate organizing the illegal trips to the temporarily occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Gebeko company," he said.
He said that the journalist's attempt to present the theme of the conflict from the point of view of religion is beneath criticism.
"Armenia, deprived of political and legal frameworks, is now trying to justify its aggression and temporary occupation under the guise of religion," he said. "Everyone knows that the cause of the conflict is territorial claims, temporary occupation and aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan."
Hajiyev said that the article makes it clear that the trip was organized and funded by Gebeko travel company.
"One can not expect a professional and objective journalistic conclusion following a trip organized by the order," he said. "Ehrenreich went beyond journalistic ethics. Under the pressure of the Armenian propaganda, he encourages the separatist regime created as a result of temporary occupation, aggression and ethnic cleansing perpetrated against Azerbaijan. A journalist, who serves to the objective journalistic principles, was to express the position of Azerbaijan with temporarily occupied territories, as well as Azerbaijani IDPs, driven from the cities of Shusha and Khankendi."
He also stressed that the traditions of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan, its care towards the Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish religious communities, strategic partnership based on the centuries-old friendship with Georgia and between our peoples, are examplary.
"The name of this German journalist will be added to the list of undesirable persons," he said. "The Azerbaijani embassy in Germany will inform Die Welt editorial staff and investigate organizing the illegal trips to the temporarily occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Gebeko company."
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.