Russian singer, Lithuanian journalist excluded from Baku’s “black list”

/By Azernews/

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has announced that it excluded a Russian singer and a Lithuanian journalist from the list of "undesirable people".

The singer, actor, composer and former member of “Chay vdvoem” group Denis Klyaver was included to the ministry’s list of undesirable persons for illegally visiting Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.

“Klyaver addressed an official letter to the Foreign Ministry asking for removal of his name from the “List of Foreign citizens who illegally visited occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Klyaver reaffirmed his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, its laws and regulations, adding that his visit to the occupied territories was not intentional and he was unaware about the consequences of that visit.

The singer expressed his apology to the Government and People of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and attested that he would refrain from such visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the future.

The appeal by Denis Klyaver was considered and the removal of his name from the list was decided.

Deputy chairman of the Union of Journalists of Lithuania, editor of “Alkas” internet portal Audrys Antanaitis, in turn, addressed to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Lithuania requesting for removal of his name from the “black list” of Baku.

In his letter confessing that he paid an illegal and intentional visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia along with cameraman Arunas Sartanavichyus on May 7-10 without notifying the Azerbaijani side in advance, Antanaitis expressed his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for his unauthorized visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Expressing regret for their one-sided reports on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Audrys Antanaitis indicated his intention to visit Azerbaijan in order to deliver to the Lithuanian society more accurate and objective information about Azerbaijan, as well as the conflict.

After the review of the appeal by Audrys Antanaitis, he was removed from the list of undesirable persons.

Under Azerbaijan’s national laws, any illegal activity in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan can be cause for a prosecution. Also, unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan are considered illegal and individuals who pay such visits are included in Azerbaijani foreign ministry’s “black list.”

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly one million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.