(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Rashid Shirinov
Baku has sharply reacted to violation of its laws by Turkish citizens, who colluded with individuals in Armenia and in occupied Azerbaijani territories.
The Prosecutor General's Office reported that four Turkish citizens Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoglu, Said Cekinoglu and Erol Katircioglu without documents and consent from relevant executive authorities crossed the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan avoiding checkpoints on September 22. That is, they deliberately traveled from territory of Armenia and illegally arrived in occupied Khankendi and other settlements of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The Grave Crimes Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office has already filed a criminal case under Criminal Code's Article 318.2 (illegally crossing Azerbaijan's state borders) against the Turkish citizens. They have been declared in the international wanted list. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against them.
The Azerbaijani side also sent an appeal to the Turkish law enforcement agencies in order to detain the four Turkish citizens. Necessary investigative activities on the criminal case continue, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office noted.
Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia are considered illegal, and any individuals paying such visits are included in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's ‘black list.' TheMinistry and diplomatic missions pay special attention to the illegal activity in the occupied areas of the country.
Baku has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats of illegality of visits to its territories that are occupied by Armenia, calling them contradictory to international law.
The Turkish Embassy in Baku reported that those, who visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, are former Turkish MPs from the opposition and oppositional journalists.
'This group has made this trip on their own initiatives without informing Turkish official bodies. Our state strongly condemns this visit, the Embassy told Report.az. 'The visit has nothing to do with Turkey's state policy and its official position.
Goksel Gulbey, head of the International Association to Fight Unfounded Armenian Allegations the (ASIMDER), in turn, told Trend that the four Turkish citizens should be prosecuted and extradited to Azerbaijan.
ASIMDER condemns the visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he said.
'Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoglu, Said Cekinoglu and Erol Katircioglu have been operating in Turkey with the support of the Armenian lobby for many years, Gulbey noted, adding that they published books to recognize the so-called 'Armenian genocide.
'With the support of the Armenian lobby in Turkey, they publish books against the country, accusing their people in the fictional 'Armenian genocide, he said.
'The visit of these persons to Nagorno-Karabakh in anticipation of the launch of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is not a coincidence and it was organized deliberately, given Azerbaijan's sensitive attitude to this issue.
Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
For more than two decades the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict fails to be resolved due to Armenia's unconstructive position and unwillingness to engage in negotiations with Azerbaijan.
Turkey contributes to efforts aimed at the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty through peaceful means.
Ankara has repeatedly stated that the OSCE Minsk Groupneeds to intensify the search for solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and offered its assistance in this matter.
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