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US Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas start campaign against Houston-based World Affairs Councilâ€™s unauthorized planned visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories

02 December 2011 08:50 (UTC +04:00)

â€œAccording to its website of the World Affairs Council of Houston, Texas is featuring an upcoming trip to Armenia and "Karabagh" in June 2012. It is noteworthy that the Houston-based organization, one of the city’s most prestigious citizen forums, is planning an unauthorized visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory of Azerbaijan currently under the Armenian occupationâ€, APA was told by one the organizers of the campaign, who represents the Assembly of Turkish American Associations.

â€œSuch a trip to the occupied territories, held without an explicit approval of Azerbaijani authorities, would constitute an insult against Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, integrity and peopleâ€, the source says.

Raising their concern about this "Armenia and Karabagh" trip, The Diaspora members have sent the dozens of letters to the WAC management, Houston’s community and the local media outlets.

â€œIt is noteworthy that the WAC of Houston, one of the city’s most prestigious citizen forums, is planning an unauthorized visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory of Azerbaijan currently under the Armenian occupation. This trip by the U.S.-based delegation of the WAC of Houston is planned without an explicit request from or approval of the Azerbaijani authorities, thus constituting a severe disrespect of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and an insult against this foreign nation, a committed U.S. partner in a volatile region bordering Russia and Iran. Moreover, according to the US Department of State , "US citizens should avoid travel to the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied areas, as well as regions along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian positions" because their safety cannot be guaranteed by State Departmentâ€, reads the letters.