Wednesday, January 16 2019 13:06

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Polad Bulbuloglu, believes that Russia should make maximum mediation efforts to put an end to "occupation policy." 

He stated this in an interview with Haqqin.az, commenting on the  Russian side's demand for permission to visit Azerbaijan by Russian  citizens of Armenian nationality. According to the ambassador, the  Russian side has repeatedly raised this issue at various levels.  Here, as the diplomat pointed out, Baku's position remains unchanged. 

"The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated that such regulations are  introduced in respect of this category of persons, regardless of  their citizenship," he said, adding that the position is primarily  based on considerations to ensure "their own security." "There is an  international practice when countries refuse anyone to visit their  state even without explaining the reasons for such refusal," he said.  At the same time, the ambassador assured that Russian  citizens of  Armenian origin, as well as citizens of Armenia, participate in  international events, sports competitions and cultural events held in  Azerbaijan. 

"The Embassy of Azerbaijan has repeatedly contributed to visiting  Azerbaijan by Russian citizens of Armenian nationality, including in  private. I want to emphasize once again that any restrictions are  imposed for their own security," he said. Speaking about the security  of citizens, the ambassador said that "there are more than one  million refugees and displaced persons in the territory of  Azerbaijan," and "they will never forget the cruelty, torture and  inhuman treatment they faced."

Answering the question of how he sees a way out of this situation,  Polad Bulbuloglu said: "Russian colleagues often ask me a question:  how can one get out of this situation and what needs to be done for  this? I always answer that it is necessary to resolve the conflict as  soon as possible and within the framework of international law, and  all these problems will disappear on their own. I, as a person who  has visited Armenia and Karabakh three times in recent years, I can  say with confidence that dialogue between the two peoples is  possible, but Russia should make the maximum but mediation efforts to  end the occupation policy. "

Note that on January 15, RIA Novosti, citing a diplomatic source in  Moscow, reported that the Azerbaijani Embassy in the Russian  Federation received a memorandum from the Russian Foreign Ministry in  connection with discriminatory attitudes towards Russian citizens at  airports in Azerbaijan. "The Azerbaijani side has once again assured  its Russian colleagues that steps will be taken to resolve the  problem," he said. Earlier, on January 11, Russian Foreign Ministry  spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, during the briefing, said that the  detention and expulsion of Russian citizens on a national basis from  Azerbaijan was a gross violation of their rights.Recall that on  December 29, Russian citizen Kristina Gevorkyan wrote on Facebook  that she had spent 13 hours at the international airport named after  M.  Heydar Aliyev in Baku "in the information and any other isolation  and at the nerve limit." She wanted to spend the New Year holidays in  Azerbaijan, but when checking her passport she was immediately  stopped.  Gevorkian writes that besides her, two more families were  not allowed into Baku because of the Armenian family name of one of  their relatives.