The leadership of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has called on the Azerbaijani government to halt its attempts to hinder visitors travel to Nagorno-Karabakh. A statement issued in Stepanakert said
"The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of NKR welcomes and encourages the visits of foreign nationals, both officials and tourists, to the NKR. Such visits and people to people contacts in general contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of confidence and co-operation in the region and are essential for the international community to get truthful and objective information about the NKR."
The statement added that "the authorities of NKR have on numerous occasions expressed their grave concern over the fraudulent campaign by Azerbaijan aimed at distorting the essence of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh and misleading the international community. This campaign expands from year to year introducing new sophisticated methods of falsifications, provocations, and revanchist threats. The most recent examples of such a propaganda campaign are the circulation of the July 26, 2013 letter in the United Nations Organization calling upon the UN Member States to warn their citizens against visiting the NKR 'without the prior authorization of the government of Azerbaijan' as well as publication of a list of people declared personae non gratae by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan because of their visits to the NKR.
"These highly irresponsible steps thwart any attempts to establish an atmosphere of trust between the NKR and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which would be essential for the peaceful resolution of the conflict. They also hinder the ongoing mediation efforts by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to find a comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh," the statement said.
source: Commonspace.eu with Mediamax
photo: Government Building in Stepanakert.
