Ukrainian gov't warns citizens over illegal visits to Nagorno-Karabakh
By Sara Rajabova
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has recommended its citizens to refrain from illegal visits to Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia.
"The Foreign Ministry draws attention of Ukrainian citizens to the need to respect the laws of the countries they plan to visit," deputy director of the Department of Information Policy of the Foreign Ministry Elena Vashenko told the Interfax-Ukraine agency, commenting on a ban on entry of 335 citizens to Azerbaijan, including eight Ukrainians.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has recently published a list of those declared persona non grata over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
For violation of the law "On State Border" of Azerbaijan and disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, those mentioned in the list are declared personas non grata and denied entry to Azerbaijan.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has earlier made recommendations through its official website to citizens planning to travel abroad. In particular, the Ukrainians are recommended to abide by laws of both Ukraine and the country of destination, when visiting other countries.
"While preparing for a trip abroad, citizens need to find out possible warnings of the Foreign Ministry with regards to visiting a country. Grave concern is caused by the situation, when despite the recommendation not to travel to certain countries due to difficult security situation and possible threats to life and health ... the facts of travel of our citizens to crisis areas of the world are observed," a statement posted on the website of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry read.
Also, the statement called on the citizens abroad to comply with the laws of the host country.
Besides, a recommendation to citizens was posted on the official website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in March 2011 about visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry recommended the citizens to refrain from visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. "During the stay in Azerbaijan, please abide by general rules of personal safety, the country's legislation and generally accepted norms of behavior abroad," the recommendation said.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats over visits to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, saying this contradicts international law. The Foreign Ministry has stated that such visits, paid without prior notification of the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan, are illegal and damaging to the settlement process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks aimed at resolving the long-standing conflict, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.