Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani government has condemned the visit by a US senator to the Armenia-occupied territories paid without official authorization and barred him from the country.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said that prior to heading to the occupied land through Armenia, California Senate member Joe Simitian held meetings in Azerbaijan. "But, unfortunately, he [further] illegally visited the Armenia-occupied territories, disrespecting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty," Abdullayev said.

According to him, the Foreign Ministry decided to label Simitian "persona non grata".

Abdullayev said Baku is committed to its intransigent stance on the issue, and those disrespecting Azerbaijan and its laws in the future will also be barred from the country. "This [such visits] is a blatant violation of the domestic legislation," he added.

The senator led a delegation of California lawmakers on their visit to Baku last week. Afterwards, Simitian visited Nagorno Karabakh, though other members of the US delegation refused to head to the occupied region with him.

Nagorno Karabakh has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since a 1994 cease-fire ended a war that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted up to one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Ethnic Armenian separatists are running a self-proclaimed republic there.