Azerbaijan to Blacklist Belgian MPs for Visiting Karabakh

BAKU — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan plans to include Belgian lawmakers on its “blacklist” for visiting Karabakh republic last week. The Ministry spokesperson Hikmat Hajiyev told reporters on Tuesday.

The Belgian parliamentarians delegation was lead by Els Van Hoof, head of the Belgium-Armenia parliamentary friendship group, and Georges Dallemagne, member of the Chamber of Representatives.

Haciyev said that, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belgium has raised the issue of the visit before the Belgian parliament’s Chamber of Representatives, the Flemish Christian Democratic Party, and the country’s Foreign Ministry, protesting the visit calling it unauthorized act.

“The Belgian Chamber of Representatives said the visit has nothing to do with the organization’s activities and that there is no mention in the Chamber’s working schedule of any visit to Armenia or any other place. The secretariat of the Flemish Christian Democratic Party said they were unaware of this visit and that it was an individual visit,” Hajiyev said.

He added that the aforementioned persons will be added to the list of “undesirable persons” of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry after verification.

This “blacklist,” which steadily grows, comprises all foreigners that have visited Nagorno-Karabakh republic. It includes numerous politicians, lawmakers, and cultural figures.