Azernews.Az

BAKU – The Azerbaijani community in the United States has protested a reception held for a visiting "representative" of the self-proclaimed republic run by ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno Karabakh region.

The protest against Ashot Gulyan’s visit, held outside the House of Representatives Rayburn House Office in Washington, lasted two hours, the Baku-based APA news agency reported.

Tens of Azerbaijani and Turkish activists holding Azerbaijani flags gathered in front of the building, chanting slogans.

"A representative of the separatist regime responsible for crimes against humanity visiting the U.S. as a government official and calling himself ‘a representative of Nagorno Karabakh’ is unacceptable," said Tural Jalilov, an Azerbaijani student from the state of Virginia.

Jalilov said the protesters aimed to convey the truth about the separatist regime in Nagorno Karabakh to the U.S. and the whole world and condemn such visits.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno Karabakh, backed by Armenia, declared so-called independence in 1991, which has not been recognized by the international community.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war over Nagorno Karabakh in the early 1990s. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since a fragile ceasefire was signed in 1994.

The U.S. co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group brokering peace talks, along with France and Russia.