Turkish citizens’ illegal visit to Karabakh under investigation, says FM
By Rashid Shirinov
Turkish citizens’ illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories is being investigated, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Baku on November 30.
The minister said the Turkish citizens who illegally visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories gave testimony in a court.
Cavusoglu expressed regret over the visit of Turkish citizens to the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
“An illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories is a crime,” the minister said. “Let everyone know that no one has the right to visit Nagorno-Karabakh region without Azerbaijan’s permission.”
Being without documents and not getting any consent from relevant executive authorities, four Turks Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoglu, Said Cekinoglu and Erol Katircioglu illegally crossed the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The Grave Crimes Investigation Department of Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General's Office filed a criminal case under the Criminal Code’s Article 318.2 (illegally crossing Azerbaijan’s state borders) against them.
The Turkish citizens deliberately traveled from territory of Armenia and illegally arrived in occupied Khankendi and other settlements of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. They were declared in the international wanted list. Azerbaijan also sent an appeal to the Turkish law enforcement agencies in order to detain the four citizens. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against them.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Ministry noted that the illegal visit of the country's citizens to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan does not reflect the official policy of Ankara, and Turkey will continue to support Azerbaijan’s fair position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and any individuals paying such visits are included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's list of undesirable persons. Baku continues the work to prevent such illegal actions, and the foreign citizens should keep their eyes peeled in order not to be deceived by Armenian occupiers.
---
Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz