Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

An Azerbaijani diplomat has said after having traveled to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Russian opera singer Ljubov Kazarnovskaya acted as an advocate of an illegal regime that was established in the occupied territories through the armed aggression, ethnic cleansing, the killing of civilians, and the devastation and destruction of the rich culture of Azerbaijan, which includes the musical heritage of Karabakh.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu made the preceding remarks about Kazarnovskaya’s illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow reported.

Azerbaijan included Kazarnovskaya into the list of undesirable people of the Azerbaijani foreign ministry.

“Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly informed all foreign nationals wishing to visit Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan that in connection with the continuing occupation, any visit to the aforementioned areas, which are recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the international community is an act of non-recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, violation of national laws fundamental norms and principles of international law without the consent of the legitimate authorities of the country,” Bulbuloglu said.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that persons, who illegally visit the occupied territories, will be denied entry to Azerbaijan.

“I believe that Kazarnovskaya, being a Russian citizen, had to pay attention to the warning posted on the portal of the Russian foreign ministry on consular information and cautions against such visits. It is understood that representatives of creative professions receive financial rewards for their activities. Obviously, Kazarnovskaya also had certain personal incentives for the visit,” Bulbuloglu said.

Kazarnovskaya’s statements wittingly or unwittingly served as illicit propaganda for visiting the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, according to the ambassador.

“Moreover, she didn’t mention that Azerbaijan’s occupied territories are a zone of armed conflict: there are cases of severe skirmishes almost every day, sniper fires are conducted as well as there are cases of mine explosions, resulting in casualties. All these factors prove the inadmissibility of propaganda of visiting areas with such serious risks,” Bulbuloglu said.

Bulbuloglu warned Russian citizens against repeating such mistakes that are fraught with both legal and, given the above, dire consequences.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry and diplomatic missions pay special attention to illegal activities in the occupied areas of Azerbaijan, particularly focusing on illegal visits by foreign nationals.

Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and individuals who pay such visits are included in Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's "black list".

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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