Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 22
By Abbas Akhundov - Trend:
During a plenary session of Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (parliament) held on Nov. 22, MP Siyavush Novruzov urged the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to raise the issue of problems on the two countries' border at the Iranian embassy.
Today the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is under a blockade and instead of helping it, additional problems related to transport of fuel, food and other goods are being created at the border, Novruzov said.
Given the onset of winter, the situation could lead to undesirable consequences for the population of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Novruzov said at the parliamentary session. According to the MP, a meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran inter-parliamentary group will be held today. Novruzov urged the group's members to seriously consider this issue.
Currently the movement of cars and commercial vehicles is allowed at the Bilasuvar and Julfa border checkpoints. There are no problems for citizens departing for Iran.
On Nov. 8 the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan issued a statement saying that the border checkpoints at Bilasuvar and Julfa were closed due to cessation of movement at the Poldesht-Shakhtakhti border checkpoint by Azerbaijani border guards.
Two days afterwards, Iran, after notifying the Azerbaijani side, closed the border checkpoints at Bilasuvar and Julfa as the border checkpoint did not open.
After a few days the limit for pedestrians was removed at the closed border crossings. However they were not allowed to cross.