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OFFICIAL US SOURCE: "BLACKLIST" OF AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES LOOKS NOT SERIOUS
18:03 20/08/2013 " SOCIETY
The "blacklist" made by Azerbaijani authorities, which also includes
35 Americans, looks not serious, an anonymous official source told
the reporter of Turan Azerbaijani news agency in Washington D.C.
The source notes: "The published list is politicized and doesn't
reflect a long-term strategy, that's how a number of analytics think
in Washington."
According to the source, there are people among those 335 names
that have never been to Nagorno-Karabakh. Most interestingly, some
of them, who are included in the "blacklist," visited the region on
Azerbaijani government funding. For example, 16 students from John
Hopkins University have recently spent 10 days in Baku, Yerevan,
and some of them have visited Karabakh as well.
"We visited Azerbaijan and Armenia to study about Karabakh conflict
and means of its resolution. The trip to Azerbaijan was organized
by the Azerbaijani diplomatic academy, and the visit to Armenia by
Caucasus Institute. The aim of the trip was to familiarize ourselves
with the conflict and think out new ideas, which will help to solve
the problem," a participant on the "blacklist" Nikolay Vondra told the
reporter of Turan agency. Vondra added that he didn't visit Karabakh,
but somehow ended up on the list.
Information sources of Turan have revealed that the trip of American
students cost Azerbaijani tax payers more than $50,000.
According to the head of "Azerbaijanis of America for Democracy" NGO
(AZAD) Elmar Shahtahtinskiy, "blacklists" are "not serious."
Shahtahtinskiy believes that the list is meant for internal propaganda.
"It's yet another example of how Azerbaijani authorities spend
millions of dollars on issues having nothing in common with problems
of Azerbaijan, and especially the resolution of Karabakh conflict,"
- said Shahtahtinskiy.
Turan reports that according to Armenian sources, tens of
thousands have visited Nagorno-Karabakh in the past few years,
while the "blacklist" of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
consists of only 350 people, some of which have never even been to
Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the article, the president of United Armenian Fund Harut
Sasunyan wrote in his column in California Courier, "It's amazing that
none of the Armenian leaders is on the "blacklist," despite the fact
that they don't keep their visits in the region secret." "Perhaps,
Azerbaijani officials consider Karabakh a part of Armenia that is
why they don't include the names of Armenian citizens?" notes Sasunyan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has published a list
of names, which became personae non gratae for Azerbaijan because
of visiting Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and are denied access to the
country. There are 335 people on the list. Specifically, the given
list includes the member of the parliament of the Southern Wales
state of Australia Gledice Berezhiklyan, Russian State Duma deputy
Oleg Pokholkov, an employee at the Ukrainian magazine "Profil" Varvara
Zhlutenko, reporter of "The Washington Post" in Moscow Will Englund,
Austrian conductor Ernest Hoetzl, Spanish opera singer Monserrat
Cabalye, and others.
Source: Panorama.am
18:03 20/08/2013 " SOCIETY
The "blacklist" made by Azerbaijani authorities, which also includes
35 Americans, looks not serious, an anonymous official source told
the reporter of Turan Azerbaijani news agency in Washington D.C.
The source notes: "The published list is politicized and doesn't
reflect a long-term strategy, that's how a number of analytics think
in Washington."
According to the source, there are people among those 335 names
that have never been to Nagorno-Karabakh. Most interestingly, some
of them, who are included in the "blacklist," visited the region on
Azerbaijani government funding. For example, 16 students from John
Hopkins University have recently spent 10 days in Baku, Yerevan,
and some of them have visited Karabakh as well.
"We visited Azerbaijan and Armenia to study about Karabakh conflict
and means of its resolution. The trip to Azerbaijan was organized
by the Azerbaijani diplomatic academy, and the visit to Armenia by
Caucasus Institute. The aim of the trip was to familiarize ourselves
with the conflict and think out new ideas, which will help to solve
the problem," a participant on the "blacklist" Nikolay Vondra told the
reporter of Turan agency. Vondra added that he didn't visit Karabakh,
but somehow ended up on the list.
Information sources of Turan have revealed that the trip of American
students cost Azerbaijani tax payers more than $50,000.
According to the head of "Azerbaijanis of America for Democracy" NGO
(AZAD) Elmar Shahtahtinskiy, "blacklists" are "not serious."
Shahtahtinskiy believes that the list is meant for internal propaganda.
"It's yet another example of how Azerbaijani authorities spend
millions of dollars on issues having nothing in common with problems
of Azerbaijan, and especially the resolution of Karabakh conflict,"
- said Shahtahtinskiy.
Turan reports that according to Armenian sources, tens of
thousands have visited Nagorno-Karabakh in the past few years,
while the "blacklist" of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
consists of only 350 people, some of which have never even been to
Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the article, the president of United Armenian Fund Harut
Sasunyan wrote in his column in California Courier, "It's amazing that
none of the Armenian leaders is on the "blacklist," despite the fact
that they don't keep their visits in the region secret." "Perhaps,
Azerbaijani officials consider Karabakh a part of Armenia that is
why they don't include the names of Armenian citizens?" notes Sasunyan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has published a list
of names, which became personae non gratae for Azerbaijan because
of visiting Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and are denied access to the
country. There are 335 people on the list. Specifically, the given
list includes the member of the parliament of the Southern Wales
state of Australia Gledice Berezhiklyan, Russian State Duma deputy
Oleg Pokholkov, an employee at the Ukrainian magazine "Profil" Varvara
Zhlutenko, reporter of "The Washington Post" in Moscow Will Englund,
Austrian conductor Ernest Hoetzl, Spanish opera singer Monserrat
Cabalye, and others.
Source: Panorama.am