Baku, Azerbaijan, May 30
By Sabina Ahmadova - Trend:
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry will consider the appeal of Georgian Writers Association (GWA) head, Makvala Gonashvili regarding the exclusion of his name from the list of undesirable persons, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend on May 30.
He said that Gonashvili, who illegally visited the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, without Azerbaijan's consent on Oct.16-18, 2012, has sent a written request to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry asking to remove his name from the list of undesirable persons.
In his letter, the head of Georgian Writers Association said that this visit was not intended to offend the patriotic feelings of Azerbaijanis, and he was not aware of the possible consequences of the trip.
Moreover, Gonashvili pledged to respect Azerbaijani law.
The visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenian-occupied regions of Azerbaijan without Azerbaijan's consent are considered illegal, and the names of the persons who made these visits are included on the "black list" of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
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 U.S. are currently holding 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.
Edited by C.N.