Azernews.Az

BAKU – The Azerbaijani government has cancelled the issuance of visas to foreign nationals at the Baku airport from last Friday, a move that has sparked concern among some expatriates and analysts.

The US embassy in Baku has issued a warning saying that Americans seeking to come to Azerbaijan should contact the country’s embassy in Washington.

However, the measure does not rule out the issuance of entry visas overall. Diplomats and officials could still be granted visas, but only upon agreement with diplomatic sources or upon submission of a special invitation. Persons arriving in Baku without visas could even be detained, the US embassy warned.

The Azerbaijani president’s decree on the rules of granting visas to foreign citizens and people without citizenship has been posted on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

The ministry spokesman, Elkhan Polukhov, said there was "nothing surprising" in the new regulations, saying the situation is similar in countries around the world. For instance, in France or the United States, it is impossible to receive a visa at the airport. "This is a rule applied in the world."

The new regulations do not apply to CIS countries’ nationals, who are merely required to register with the State Migration Service only if they stay in the country for over 90 days.

Polukhov said expatriates coming to Azerbaijan are required to approach the consular section of the country’s embassy in their home country. Tourists will not face any problems, however, if they raise doubts in consular section employees, they could also be asked to submit an invitation or a special letter.

International organizations operating in Baku have complained over being uninformed about the new visa regulations. Vugar Gojayev, head of the Norwegian Human Rights House representation in Azerbaijan, believes that the Foreign Ministry’s website does not contain clear information on whether or not visas are granted at the airport.

Alovsat Aliyev, head of the Center for Legal Assistance to Migrants, says that changes to visa rules should be preceded by public awareness activities.

"Since Azerbaijan does not have embassies in all countries, the situation with embassies should have been studied first," the analyst said.

Eldar Aslanov, director of the Azerbaijan Tourism Institute under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has told EurasiaNet.org website that the changes were due to the threat of international terror.

Foreign diplomats have voiced concern in their interviews with the website that the toughening of visa regulations could prevent businessmen and tourists from traveling to Azerbaijan.

EurasiaNet.org also said the predicted reduction in the number of tourists will have an impact on the profits of topnotch hotels currently under construction in Baku.