Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26
Trend:
A citizen of the US and Ukraine, Director of the Eurasia Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School Sergei Konoplyov addressed a letter to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry asking for a removal of his name from the “List of foreign citizens who illegally visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, Trend reports with reference to the ministry.
In his letter, Sergei Konoplyov noted that he was unaware of the consequences of his visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in 2012.
He reaffirmed his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, its laws and regulations and underlined that this visit shall not give a meaning of disrespect for Azerbaijan and its people.
Expressing regrets for this visit Sergei Konoplyov mentioned that his visit to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia in no way served for the promotion of illegal regime established in the seized lands of Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, Konoplyov expressed apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and attested that he would refrain from such visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the future.
Sergei Konoplyov also asked for permission to visit Azerbaijan in the future.
The appeal by Sergei Konoplyov was considered and the removal of his name from the list was decided upon.
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.