Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16
By Ilhama Isabalayeva – Trend:
Impunity of persons, who illegally visited Nagorno-Karabakh, may negatively affect the Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, Elman Nasirov, member of the Azerbaijani parliament, told Trend Oct. 16.
The MP noted that the illegal visits by four Turkish citizens to Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by the Armenian armed forces, holding of numerous meetings there, anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish statements, as well as speeches about this trip on Turkish TV channels when the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are at the level of strategic alliance – is a circumstance that casts shadow on friendship and brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
On September 22, Turkish citizens Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoglu, Said Cekinoglu and Erol Katircioglu illegally visited Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by the Armenian armed forces.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the illegal visit of Turkish citizens to the occupied Azerbaijani territories did not reflect Ankara’s official policy.
Grave Crimes Investigation Department of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office filed a criminal case under the Criminal Code’s Article 318.2 (illegally crossing Azerbaijan’s state borders). All four individuals are accused under the abovementioned article. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against them. They were declared internationally wanted.
An appeal was sent to the Turkish law enforcement to detain the four individuals.
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.