Turkish journalist asks Azerbaijani FM to delist her as persona non-grata

By AzerNews

A columnist of Turkish "Milliyet" newspaper and correspondent of CNN Turk TV channel, Nagehan Alci, has appealed Baku to remove her name from the foreign ministry's "black list".

The well-known Turkish national journalist was included in the list of 'persona non grata' or undesirable individuals by the Azerbaijani foreign ministry for her illegal visit to the territories occupied by Armenia in November 2009.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said Alci has submitted her formal request to the Azerbaijani authorities.

Abdullayev said Alci regrets that her name is in the list and emphasized that she respects the territorial integrity of "brotherly Azerbaijan". Alci also said that "as a woman who loves Azerbaijan" she desires to frequently visit the country.

Abdullayev said the current appeal is under consideration and in case of positive decision, it can be seen on the ministry's website in the section related to the "black list".

Earlier, famous Italian singer Al Bano was removed from the list of undesirable persons of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Unauthorized visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan which are occupied by Armenia are deemed illegal and individuals paying such visits are included in the 'black list' of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry earlier released a list of 335 people declared 'persona non grata' over illegal visits to the Armenian-occupied territories.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned foreign officials and diplomats about visits to its territories occupied by Armenia, saying this contradicts international law. The Foreign Ministry has stated that such visits, paid without prior notification of the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan, are illegal and damage the settlement process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.