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Full list here: http://mfa.gov.az/files/file/Arzuolu...ahisi-2013.pdf
Russell Pollard, one of the blacklistees, responds...
The “honour” of being black-listed by Azerbaijan
I always thought that anyone who visited Artsakh without the agreement of the Azerbaijani government was immediately considered to be “persona non grata”. Of course the number of people who they grant permission to is probably very small and confined to international peace negotiators, so one would expect that the population of “offenders” would run into the thousands when you consider the number of tourists each year. But of course, what this list actually reveals is that the Azerbaijani government doesn’t really know who is entering the country, and that its previously threatening assertions are just vacuous. What it demonstrates is, that it is just an empty threat to try and deter visitors from finding out for themselves what life is like in this country, and that they are not subjected to sniper fire, bandits, minefields, and life-threatening situations but something quite different. Inevitably people have been deterred because of the official Azeri statements, as well as the compliant advice by one’s local Foreign Office.
Full article accessible here
Russell Pollard, one of the blacklistees, responds...
The “honour” of being black-listed by Azerbaijan
I always thought that anyone who visited Artsakh without the agreement of the Azerbaijani government was immediately considered to be “persona non grata”. Of course the number of people who they grant permission to is probably very small and confined to international peace negotiators, so one would expect that the population of “offenders” would run into the thousands when you consider the number of tourists each year. But of course, what this list actually reveals is that the Azerbaijani government doesn’t really know who is entering the country, and that its previously threatening assertions are just vacuous. What it demonstrates is, that it is just an empty threat to try and deter visitors from finding out for themselves what life is like in this country, and that they are not subjected to sniper fire, bandits, minefields, and life-threatening situations but something quite different. Inevitably people have been deterred because of the official Azeri statements, as well as the compliant advice by one’s local Foreign Office.
Full article accessible here
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