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Journalist who illegally visited Nagorno Karabakh: It seems that I wonâ€™t be further allowed to enter Azerbaijan - INTERVIEW

Journalist who illegally visited Nagorno Karabakh: It seems that I wonâ€™t be further allowed to enter Azerbaijan - <span style="color: red;">INTERVIEW

25 March 2015 12:47 (UTC +04:00)

Moscow. Farid Akberov – APA. Interview of journalist of Russia's "Argumenty i fakti" newspaper Alexander Kolesnichenko, who paid illegal visits to Azerbaijani occupied territory – Nagorno Karabakh, with APA’s Moscow correspondent

- You have recently paid an illegal visit to the Azerbaijani occupied territory – Nagorno Karabakh within the media forum held in Armenia. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has announced that it will take appropriate measures against the journalists paying illegal visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. You can be included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's "blacklist". How would you comment on the matter?

- I wanted to see with my own eyes the living conditions of the people living under the threat of a resumption of the conflict, their hopes, how they established their own lives, how they see the future of their children and the economic situation in the region. I accepted the local authorities’ invitation that was the only way of visiting unrecognized republic.

- Did you know that persons paying illegal visits to Nagorno Karabakh are included in the “blacklist” in Azerbaijan?

- Yes, I was partially informed about it. I read about news on Montserrat Caballé.

- You said that you wanted to see the living conditions of the people in Nagorno Karabakh, economic situation in the region with your own eyes. But, what about the fates of 1 million people, who became refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, are you interested in them? Don’t you want to see the living conditions of those people with your own eyes?

- Of course, I want to see the living conditions of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs. It seems that I won’t be further allowed to enter Azerbaijan

- So being aware of it, why did you take this step? You would have appealed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry regarding your desire of visiting Nagorno Karabakh.

- This visit was organized very quickly. I will familiarize myself with the requirements of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry in case of visiting Nagorno Karabakh again.