Azernews.Az

The British government opened a crackdown on a local travel agency that had planned tours to Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation.
The announcement was made by Britain's Europe Minister Jim Murphy in a meeting with the Azeri ambassador to the UK Fahraddin Gurbanov. It came after the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry sent a letter to London condemning Sunville Discovery company's illegal plans.
"The British authorities back Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and recommend that their citizens refrain from visiting the occupied Upper Garabagh region due to the unresolved dispute and skirmishes [on the frontline]," the minister said.
The letter, forwarded to the World Tourism Organization and the UK culture and tourism ministry, emphasized that Upper Garabagh is an integral part of Azerbaijan and demanded to cancel the trip.
Baku started a scrutiny after reports circulated that Sunville Discovery was organizing a 10-day visit to Armenia and the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Travelers were expected to visit the historic Azerbaijani town of Shusha located in Garabagh and further travel to Khankandi (Stepanakert), an Azeri town turned by Armenians into the center of the self-proclaimed republic, to visit local museums.