Russia, Moscow / corr. Trend R.Agayev / The presenting of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan as a geographic region in the 7th International Tourism Fair which was opened on 17 May in Moscow was ceased, the General Manager of the Exhibition Complex "Gostiniy Dvor", Olga Teplyakov, informed Trend Special Correspondent.
Together with the official stand of Azerbaijan, the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was being presented in the exhibition as well. The Azerbaijani hall was presented on 18 May and the presentation representing Nagorno-Karabakh as a self-declared republic had initially been scheduled for 19 May.
Olga Teplyakov said that the decision on ceasing presenting on Nagorno-Karabakh was made due to the repeat appeals on the Azerbaijani side.
One week before the Moscow forum, the Heads of the Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations (Federal National Cultural Autonomy of the Russian Azerbaijanis, International Karabakh Foundation and Co-ordination Council of Azerbaijani Youths) forwarded a letter to the Tourism Committee of Moscow. A letter highlighted their powerlessness to represent Nagorno-Karabakh both as a Republic and as an independent region. The letter recalled negative results in the previous 6th Moscow exhibitions (13 May, 2006) where this occupied region of Azerbaijan was presented as self-declared " Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". During the exhibition, the activists of the Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations attempted to prevent the Armenians from presenting the hall as so-called "NGR" and this led to controversy. The letter states that the decision on presenting the hall as of Nagorno-Karabakh may yield negative results and that the Tourism Committee of Moscow would need to take responsibility for the negative results. The representative of the Tourism Committee stated by telephone that this time Nagorno-Karabakh will not be presented as a republic and the stand will not reflect any status. However, the Azerbaijani Diaspora organization insisted on full liquidation of the Nagorno-Karabakh hall. The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus appeared in 1988 due to the territorial claims between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia has occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. From 1992 until the present, these territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.