Mexican MPs visiting occupied Azerbaijani lands were manipulated by Armenia

Involving Mexican MPs in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian ambassador to Mexico Ara Ayvazyan organized their visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories in order to use them in his insidious games to win political gains, said Azerbaijani Charge d’Affaires in Mexico Mammad Talibov.

Talibov made the remarks in his recent interview with a popular Mexican newspaper El Universal, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Mexico told Trend on December 26.

During the interview, the diplomat said that the only way to solve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the fulfillment of the UN Security Council resolutions by Yerevan and the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Talibov also noted that the Nagorno Karabakh region belongs to Azerbaijan and has been under Armenia's occupation since 1992.

The news about the visit of three Mexican MPs to the occupied Azerbaijani territories without the permission of the Azerbaijani government and the strong reaction of the Azerbaijani embassy in this country to the issue, recently drew attention in Mexico. The MPs Blanka Margarita Kuata Dominguez, Maria Cristina Teresa Garcia Bravo and Carlos Hernandez Miro illegally visited the occupied Azerbaijani region Khankandi and met there with the “speaker of parliament” of the separatist regime Ashot Gulyan.

The interview notes that despite the warns of Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs on not to visit these territories and ignoring the fact that these lands are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, by taking those MPs to the occupied territories, the Government of Armenia aimed to represent Mexico as a country allegedly supporting the separatist regime, created in those territories and not recognized by any country, and even by Armenia itself.

Talibov had earlier held meetings at Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and the Chamber of Deputies where he expressed the Azerbaijani government's protest, and both authorities emphasized that they support the UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

“I think that the Armenian ambassador should stop these games and, speaking about human rights (in one of his statements, he said that the Mexican MPs have a right to travel freely), he must explain the expulsion of a million of Azerbaijanis from their homes, killings and violence committed against them,” the Azerbaijani diplomat said in his interview.

Сommenting on the Armenian ambassador's statement on “the danger of a new Armenian genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Talibov said that this is absurd, and that Azerbaijan is a country known for its multiculturalism and tolerance, where representatives of all religions and cultures live together without any discrimination.

Moreover, the diplomat noted that Azerbaijan and Mexico mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2017, and there are great opportunities for further expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

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 list of undesirable persons. Baku continues the work to prevent such illegal actions, and the foreign citizens should keep their eyes peeled in order not to be deceived by Armenian occupiers.

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 work is constantly carried out to prevent such illegal actions.