Baku clarifies The New York Times reps
Hikmat Hajiyev, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said Feb. 2 in response to the media inquiries that the representatives of The New York Times, complying with the laws of Azerbaijan, visited the territories of Azerbaijan, which have been occupied by Armenia, in order to make reportage on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
“The New York Times has informed the Republic of Azerbaijan in advance about the visit intention and its representatives have obtained visas for entering into the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and they were provided with the appropriate press accreditation cards issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan to engage in journalistic activities in the territory of Azerbaijan, including in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” Hajiyev said.
Last week, The New York Times published an article dedicated to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.