Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 3 / Trend S.Agayeva /
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has included California Senate Environmental Quality Committee chairman, Senator Joseph Simitian into the "black list", Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend.
Simitian illegally visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without permission from Azerbaijan's appropriate agencies.
"Prior to his visit to Armenia, Simitian held meetings in Baku," Abdullayev told Trend.
"However, unfortunately, he traveled to the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia showing disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not informing the relevant bodies of the Azerbaijan Republic and without permission. Accordingly, the ministry made a decision to include him in the list of persona-non."
Azerbaijan's position on this issue is strict and indisputable: those who showed disrespect to Azerbaijan and its laws will be included in this list. This is a flagrant violation of domestic law, Abdullayev said.
He said a person who makes the laws and is a member of the legislature of California, should not himself violate any laws.
Simitian visited Nagorno-Karabakh, met with representatives of the separatist regime, the Armenian media reported.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.