Wikipedia

List of people declared personae non gratae in Azerbaijan

(Redirected from List of people banned from entering Azerbaijan)

Until 2023, unless a visa or an official warrant was issued by Azerbaijani authorities, the government of Azerbaijan condemned any visit by foreign citizens to the Republic of Artsakh, its surrounding territories and the Azerbaijani enclaves of Karki, Yuxarı Əskipara, Barxudarlı and Sofulu which are de jure part of Azerbaijan, but were under Armenian control. Azerbaijan considered entering these territories through Armenia (as it was usually the case) a violation of its visa and migration policy. Foreign citizens who entered these territories would be permanently banned from entering Azerbaijan and would be included on the list of "unwelcome people" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.[1][2]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has explained the matter as:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan would like to remind all nationals of foreign countries wishing to travel to Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan that due to continuing occupation by the Armed Forces of Armenia, these areas are temporarily out of control of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Any visit without the consent of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the above-mentioned territories, which are internationally recognized as an integral part of Azerbaijan is considered as a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and as a breach of national legislation, as well as relevant norms and principles of international law.
Accordingly, the Ministry calls all foreign nationals to refrain themselves from travelling to the occupied territories in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry would like to remind that those who traveled to the occupied territories without prior permission of the Republic of Azerbaijan will be denied the entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan. In case of necessity, appropriate legal actions will be taken with regard to these persons.[3]

As of 10 September 2020, the list of people declared personae non gratae included 1020 people.[4]

List

edit

Date unknown

edit

2007

edit
  •   Kaupo Känd, senior adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner[5]
  •   Mila Alečković Nikolić, Serbian professor and member of the Writers Union[5]
  •   Dave Loewen, City Councillor of Abbotsford[5]
  •   Sergey Markedonov, Russian MP[5]
  •   Valeri Spektor, President of the National Security Affairs of the Academy of Sciences of Russia[5]
  •   Sergey Glotoy, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Regulations and Organizational Issues[5]
  •   Yelena Semerikova, Member of Russian Public Chamber[5]
  •   Rumen Batalov, Russian political scientist[5]
  •   Sergei Valentinovich Pughacyov, Ukrainian city council member[5]

2008

edit

2009

edit

2010

edit

2011

edit

2012

edit

2013

edit

2014

edit

2015

edit

2016

edit

2017

edit

2019

edit

2020

edit

Removed from the list

edit

The names of certain people initially declared personae non gratae were taken out of the list following formal requests and apologies on their part.

  •   Nagehan Alçı, Turkish journalist of Akşam, was blacklisted in 2009 after a two-day visit to Nagorno-Karabakh for research purposes.[43] It was reported that she had referred to Nagorno-Karabakh as "100% Armenian land" in an interview on a television channel broadcast in Nagorno-Karabakh[44] Alçı later denied making such a statement, saying she had never mentioned the history of the region at all.[45] In 2013, she sent a request to the Azerbaijani government asking to exclude her from the "black list" and reaffirming her support of the territorial integrity of "brotherly Azerbaijan". Her request was granted in December 2013.[46]
  •   Aleksey Mitrofanov, Russian politician, was blacklisted in 2011 for attending the opening ceremony of a banquet hall in Stepanakert.[47] In a letter to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, he expressed "sincere regret" for having visited Nagorno-Karabakh. The ban on his entry to Azerbaijan was lifted in September 2013.[48]
  •   James Brooke, an American journalist blacklisted in 2011, was taken down from the list around the same time.[48]
  •   Al Bano, Italian singer, was declared persona non grata in 2010, after giving a concert in Nagorno-Karabakh.[49] In November 2013, the ban was lifted, after a letter was sent by Al Bano to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry in which stated he had had no information about the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh at the time of his visit.[50] In December 2013, Al Bano visited Azerbaijan together with other Italian pop stars of the 1970s and performed at a joint concert.
  •   Jürgen Klimke, member of the German Parliament, was on the list since September 2013, after holding a meeting with members of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh in Stepanakert. In his letter to the Azerbaijani government, Klimke said his visit had been unplanned and he had no idea of its repercussions. He voiced his support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and expressed regret with regard to his visit. His name did not appear on the list as of 17 March 2014.[51]
  •   Constantin Moscovici, Moldovan singer,[32] was excluded from the list in February 2014, after he stated in a letter that his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh was not deliberate and that his position on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan coincided with that of his country.[52]
  •   Artemy Lebedev, Russian designer and businessman, was removed from the list in February 2015 after a letter of apology sent to the Azerbaijani ambassador in Russia.[53] In his LiveJournal account, Lebedev wrote that five years prior he had done "a foolish thing" by visiting Nagorno-Karabakh without having done enough research and without a special permission from Azerbaijan. He called on others to obtain one if they ever decide to visit the region.[54]
  •   Luis Faraoni, sub-editor of the newspaper Tiempo Argentino, was excluded from the list in April 2015, after expressing regret for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and voicing his support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.[55]
  •   Swedish diplomat and former EU special representative in the South Caucasus Peter Semneby was excluded from the list in April 2015. According to the spokesperson of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Semneby had said in a letter sent to the Ministry that his unauthorised trip to Nagorno-Karabakh had enabled him to conclude that his opinion on the conflict in fact coincided with that of Azerbaijan.[56] Semneby refused to comment on the fact that he had been blacklisted from 2012 to 2015.[57]
  • The names of   Yannick Pelletier and   Kevin O'Connell were removed from the list in the wake of the 42nd Chess Olympiad held in Baku, after official letters were submitted on their part to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan which the Ministry quoted as expressing regret for visiting the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and reaffirming Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.[58][59]

Reaction

edit

Azerbaijan

edit
Official

Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan spokesman Elman Abdullayev said the list is incomplete due to an ongoing investigation of more potential entry violations.[60] Abdullayev also claimed that "if the person who visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without the permission of the Azerbaijani side, regrets his actions, aware of the illegality of his visit and will appeal to the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan with an explanation, the Azerbaijani side is willing to consider this appeal on the exclusion of that person from the list."[61]

Non-official

Investigative journalist and radio reporter Khadija Ismayilova, known for her anti-government publications, has noted that some of the people whose names appear on the list, especially those for whom no reason for the ban has been listed, are in fact journalists and human rights activists who apparently were barred from entering Azerbaijan for criticising the Azerbaijani government in their articles, as it was not evident if they had ever visited Nagorno-Karabakh.[62]

Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh

edit

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has criticised the Azerbaijan stance, stating:

Azerbaijan replaces the conflict settlement process with attempts to transfer the issue to the auspice of the UN, Council of Europe, European Parliament, and other international organizations. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani party's requirement for the international organizations, states, and political figures to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan grows into a political farce and its declaration of the citizens visiting the NKR "persona non grata" – into a comedy. The position of Azerbaijan is fully deprived of even hints of readiness for any compromise or concessions. This reconfirms the fact that official Baku doesn't want to resolve the Karabakh issue, trying to shift the blame for the failure onto Armenia.[63]

International

edit
Official

Following Azerbaijan's protests, governments of some countries whose citizens visited the occupied territory, as well as establishments that they were affiliated with at the time of the visit, described these visits as "personal decisions" of the said individuals and stated that those visits did not represent their official position.[64][65][66][67][68]

The US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs website states that "traveling to the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied areas via Armenia without the consent of the Government of Azerbaijan could make you ineligible to travel to Azerbaijan in the future."[69]

Non-official

François Rochebloine, Member of the French National Assembly and the head of the France-Armenia Friendship Group, commented on the Azerbaijani decision to ban his entrance to Azerbaijan, stating that it is an "honor" for him to be declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan.[70]

Ueli Leuenberger, a Swiss Member of Parliament, has stated that he is "grateful" for being blacklisted from Azerbaijan.[27]

The Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé visited the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on 4 June 2013. She met the primate of the Diocese of Artsakh, archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, in Shushi's Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. She also visited Gandzasar and Stepanakert, the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, where she met with President Bako Sahakyan. On 6 June 2013, the Azerbaijani government declared Caballé persona non grata.[71][72][73][74] On 9 June 2013, the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, awarded Caballé the Armenian Medal of Honor.[75]

Russian political expert Konstantin Zatulin, who repeatedly travelled to Nagorno-Karabakh to observe elections in the self-declared state, noted that "Azerbaijan demonstrates silliness" by having such a list, while his colleague Sergey Markedonov sarcastically expressed his happiness to have joined the company of Caballe and other celebrities.[76]

According to Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin, who is included in the list, "Azerbaijani position towards Armenians is too complicated and Azerbaijanis themselves can not explain the approach of their government."[10]

Wayne Merry, a retired American diplomat and the senior fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council, condemned the Azerbaijani government and said that "this step first of all harms the Azerbaijani authorities" and it is a "striking example of self-isolation and simple policy."[77]

Argentinian journalist Marcelo Cantelmi who was blacklisted in 2005 wrote: "publishing a blacklist is a despicable and barbaric act. It is a discriminatory method, historically used by dictators and tyrants, that intends to punish divergent opinions in a brutal manner".[78]

Nicholas Wondra, an expert on Caucasus, was found himself in the Azerbaijani "black list" although he has never been in Karabakh. He added that "as far as I have been included in the list, now I must visit Karabakh as an expert on Caucasus."[77]

Zafer Noyan, an ethnic Turkish arm-wrestler, was barred from entering Azerbaijan because his last name resembled that of an Armenian.[79]

Syrian American journalist of Armenian descent Harut Sassounian in an article written in August 2013 stated that "Baku’s Blacklist of Artsakh Visitors Helps Armenia, Hurts Azerbaijan". He added, "Azerbaijan’s leaders may not be aware that some of their incompetent underlings are causing great harm to the interests and reputation of their own country."[80]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Visa section at the Embassy". Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Romania. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b Персоны нон грата в Азербайджане – СПИСОК. Day.az. 2 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Warning for the foreign nationals wishing to travel to the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  4. ^ https://mfa.gov.az/files/shares/illegally_visited.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca "Arzuolunmaz Şəxslərin Siyahısı [List of Undesirable People]" (PDF). Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "List of foreign citizens illegally visited occupied terrirtories of the Republic of Azerbaijan" (PDF). mfa.gov.az. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Vugar Seidov » 2009 » June". Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d e "МИД Азербайджана объявил пятерых депутатов Госдумы персона нон-грата". International Expert Center for Electoral Systems. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Who Can Visit Azerbaijan? At Least Not Those Who Observed NKR Elections". Tert.am. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  10. ^ a b "People included in Azerbaijani "persona non-grata" list do not care about it". Armenpress. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Member of Slovak parliament writes article about his impressions from Armenia and Karabakh". Panorama.am. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Azerbaijan Protests French Deputies' Visit To Nagorno-Karabakh". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Azerbaijan announces a number of French parliamentarians non-grata". Today.az. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  14. ^ "European MP Blacklisted by Azerbaijan for Visiting Karabakh". Massispost. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Another Russian journalist barred from Azerbaijan". AzerNews. Baku. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  16. ^ "FM: Azerbaijan ready to consider Izvestia newspaper's appeal". Trend.az. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Citing ethnicity, Azerbaijan bars photojournalist". Committee to Protect Journalists. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  18. ^ "California senator declared persona non-grata in Azerbaijan". Eastern Partnership Community. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  19. ^ "Azerbaijan Blacklists Stepanakert Visiting Turkish Cypriots". Asbarez. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  20. ^ "Azerbaijani MFA blacklists representatives of Northern Cyprus who visited Karabakh". PanArmenian. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  21. ^ "AZERBAIJAN TO BLACKLIST TURKISH CYPRIOTS FOR KARABAKH TRIP". ArmTown. 6 April 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  22. ^ Azerbaijan Protests French Deputies' Visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. Radio Free Europe. 23 August 2011.
  23. ^ Gloria Galloway. Azerbaijan upset over Liberal MP’s trip to disputed territory's election. The Globe and Mail. 19 July 2012.
  24. ^ "Chairman of Georgian Writers Union declared persona non-grata in Azerbaijan". News.az. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  25. ^ a b c "Azerbaijan blacklists senators visiting Karabakh". News.am. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Cosmonauts visited NKR are in "persona non-grata" list of Azerbaijan". Public Radio of Armenia. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  27. ^ a b c "Swiss parliamentarian is grateful to Azerbaijan for being included in its "black list"". Armenpress. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  28. ^ "Swiss MPs not upset from being blacklisted in Azerbaijan". News.am. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  29. ^ "Denis Dvornikov: It would be wiser of Azerbaijan not to make a black list". Panorama. 28 August 2013.
  30. ^ a b c Европарламент прокомментировал визит ряда своих депутатов в оккупированный Нагорный Карабах Азербайджана.
  31. ^ a b "Azerbaijan declares Dato Turashvili and Beso Khvedelidze as persona non grata". Georgian News TV. 3 August 2013.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g Эльмар Мамедъяров запретил «Феличита» … и не только. Haqqin.az. 1 August 2013.
  33. ^ a b "Baku Irked by California Officials' Visit to Artsakh". Asbarez. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  34. ^ "LIST OF FOREIGN CITIZENS ILLEGALY [sic] VISITED TO OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN" (PDF). Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Baku Lists Russian Journalists on Blacklist". Asbarez. 26 August 2014.
  36. ^ "Azerbaijan bans Russian opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya". Public Radio of Armenia. 7 July 2015.
  37. ^ "Armenian-Italian Writer Antonia Arslan Declared Persona Non Grata in Azerbaijan". Horizon. 31 January 2016.
  38. ^ Azerbaijan to blacklist former US Ambassador to Armenia Public Radio of Armenia 29 June 2016
  39. ^ "Deputada do PSD "persona non grata" no Azerbaijão" (in Portuguese). 28 August 2017.
  40. ^ a b c "Azerbaijan Blacklists Three U.S. Lawmakers For Visiting Nagorno-Karabakh". 23 September 2017.
  41. ^ "Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry blacklisted German Member of EP". 5 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Aserbaidschan geht gegen Schweizer Journalisten vor". 21 December 2019.
  43. ^ "Turkish journalist declared 'persona non-grata' after Garabagh visit". Azernews. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  44. ^ Akşam Gazetesi Yazarı Nagehan Alçı "Karabağ Ermeni Toprağıdır" Dedi, 19 November 2009. [1]
  45. ^ Turkish Journalist Punished for Visiting Nagorno-Karabakh. Memorial. 19 November 2009.
  46. ^ Turkish Journalist No Longer Blacklisted. Echo. 11 December 2013.
  47. ^ "Azerbaijan "blacklists" Russian politician for visiting Karabakh". News.am. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  48. ^ a b Azerbaijan Excluded Four People from the Blacklist. Arminfo. 24 September 2013.
  49. ^ Baku may blacklist Italian singer for visiting Karabakh. APA. 19 October 2010.
  50. ^ (in Italian)Al Bano non più "persona non grata" per Azerbaigian, ILMONDO.it
  51. ^ German MP's Name Excluded from Blacklist. Trend. 17 March 2014.
  52. ^ Moldovan Singer's Name Excluded from the Blacklist. ANS Press. 11 February 2014.
  53. ^ Xarici İşlər Nazirliyinin Mətbuat Xidmətinin açıqlaması. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. 19 February 2015.
  54. ^ Good News from Azerbaijan. Artemy Lebedev's LiveJournal page. 19 February 2015.
  55. ^ Azerbaijan Forgives Argentine Journalist. Haqqin.az. 27 April 2015.
  56. ^ EU Ambassador Excluded from Azerbaijan's Black List. Haqqin.az. 29 April 2015.
  57. ^ Infamous Peter Semneby: "I Am Remembered by People". Haqqin.az. 30 April 2015.
  58. ^ Swiss chess player Yannick Pelletier removed from list of undesirable persons in Azerbaijan. AzerTag. 4 August 2016.
  59. ^ Representative of Irish Chess Federation removed from Azerbaijan`s persona non grata list. AzerTag. 4 August 2016.
  60. ^ Список расширится?. Zerkalo. 5 August 2013.
  61. ^ МИД Азербайджана: большинство лиц армяне заманили на оккупированные территории обманом Archived 9 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  62. ^ "Whose is Banned from Visiting Azerbaijan?". Ishdan sonra. Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe. 5 August 2013. Radio.
  63. ^ "THE POSITION OF BAKU IN THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IS A POLITICAL FARCE AND COMEDY – INTERVIEW OF THE ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER OF KARABAKH". Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  64. ^ Посол Азербайджана обвинил французских депутатов в безответственности. Day.az. 24 August 2011.
  65. ^ Европарламент прокомментировал визит ряда своих депутатов в оккупированный Нагорный Карабах Азербайджана. APA. 29 April 2013.
  66. ^ Визит на оккупированные территории без согласования и без разрешения правительства Азербайджана не может считаться законным – МИД. 1news.az. 19 July 2013.
  67. ^ (in Russian) Australia, Canada, New Zealand Condemn Election in Nagorno-Karabakh Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Regnum. 19 July 2012.
  68. ^ Испания дала ответ Азербайджану на объявление персона нон грата Монсеррат Кабалье. 13 June 2013.
  69. ^ "Armenia Country Specific Information". Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  70. ^ "Persona non-grata in Azerbaijan an honor, French MP says". News.am. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  71. ^ "Baku Declares Renowned Opera Star 'Persona Non-Grata'". Asbarez. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  72. ^ "Montserrat Caballe Declared Persona Non Grata in Azerbaijan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  73. ^ "Azerbaiyán declara persona non-grata a Montserrat Caballé". El País (in Spanish). 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  74. ^ "Montserrat Caballé, "persona non-grata" en Azerbaiyán" (in Spanish). RIA Novosti. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  75. ^ Армения наградила орденом ставшую персоной нон грата в Азербайджане Монсеррат Кабалье (in Russian). Korrespondent.net. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  76. ^ Black List for Black Garden
  77. ^ a b "People who never visited Nagorno Karabakh Republic appeared in Baku's "black list"". Armenpress. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  78. ^ "Azerbaijan Blacklists Editor of Argentine's Largest Newspaper". Hetq. 10 August 2013.
  79. ^ "Soyadı 'Ermeni' Diye Azerbaycan'a Sokulmadı" (in Turkish). SonDakika. 29 May 2014.
  80. ^ Sassouniain, Harut (13 August 2013). "Baku's Blacklist of Artsakh Visitors Helps Armenia, Hurts Azerbaijan". Asbarez.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_people_declared_personae_non_gratae_in_Azerbaijan&oldid=1257870518"