By Trend

Russia’s mobile operator MegaFon continues provocations against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

Despite Russia's recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, MegaFon provides communication services to separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh. The company even represented Nagorno-Karabakh on its website as an independent state.

It should be noted that the dissemination of such information gained wider scope with the appointment of Gevork Vermishyan, of Armenian descent, as the company CEO in November 2018.

When a appeal was made by an Azerbaijani, demanding MegaFon to put an end to this provocation, the company answered that "our state recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as a separate state. The company operates within the framework of Russian legislation."

As a result of joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia, as well as of serious protests by Azerbaijanis living in Russia, this provocative information has been removed from the company's website.

Due to the creation of information threats and serious problems in matters of the state’s national security through such illegal actions, it is envisaged to cease cooperation between MegaFon and Azerbaijani mobile operators.

MegaFon is actively developing telecommunications services in the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan occupied by the Armenian armed forces, and the company provides roaming services through its partner "Karabakh Telecom".

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.