Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 24 / Trend /
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium revealed a travel itinerary to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region by one of the travel agencies participating in "The International Fair of Flanders" tourism exhibition, held on January 24 - 29 in the Belgian city of Antwerp, the embassy informed on Thursday.
The travel agency "Sovjet Reizen" organizes trips to post-Soviet countries, and last year it organized tours to Azerbaijan.
The website of the agency placed information on tours to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in its Armenia tours section.
In this regard, the embassy contacted the travel agency and sent a letter to its management containing information on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and its outcomes, and the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that stated that these territories are an integral part of Azerbaijan. The embassy also provided information on the unambiguous position taken by the international community on this issue, including the UN Security Council. Along with the international legal aspects of the conflict, the embassy provided information on the danger of such trips to the occupied territories and that the official website of the Belgian Foreign Ministry hosts a warning to Belgian nationals concerning this issue.
The position of the Azerbaijani government concerning travels to the occupied territories with no permission was also stated in the letter, as well as the outcomes of such visits that could result in the suspension of existing cooperation and the inclusion of the agency employees to the list of persons deemed undesirable for entry to Azerbaijan.
According to the travel agency, this trip was offered due to the lack of information about the conflict. As a result of the measures taken, this provocative step and advocacy on visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were precluded.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.