Interpol Rejects Azerbaijani Claims

YEREVAN — The Interpol’s National Central Bureau of Azerbaijan released a statement on March 1 addressed to Interpol member states, on issuing international arrest warrants for a group of foreign and Armenian scientists carrying out archeological excavations in Nagorno Karabakh in 2016.

The warrants were issued based on the Azerbaijani Criminal Code’s article 116.0.8-3 (violating international humanitarian norms during conflicts), 165.2.2 (violation of copyright rights), 183.2.1 (looting items of special value), 183.2.2, 281.2 (calls against the state) and 318.02 (illegally crossing the state border of Azerbaijan).

On receiving the notices, the National Central Bureau of Interpol of the RA Police submitted the necessary grounds and clarifications to the General Secretariat of Interpol over the fact that the Azerbaijani side makes another attempt to drag Interpol into its political issues, which definitely contradicts Article 3 of the Constitution of the organization (“It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character) and threatens the reputation and the good name of Interpol.

In its turn, the general secretariat of Interpol found the Armenian law enforcement’s information to be grounded, and immediately responded and released statements on the same day to all member states notifying that the information on the mentioned individuals contradicts Article 3 of Interpol’s Constitution and international arrest warrant cannot be issued for them.