Russian tourist firm organises trips to occupied Nagorno Karabakh

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 16 / Trend I.Isabalayeva / Russian tourism company Astravel is organising historical and cultural trips along with Central and Southern Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh which is occupied by Armenians. The company posted the following announcement on its website (http://www.astravel.ru/catalog/CIScountries/Armenia/tour/1672), Trend reported on Thursday. The information says that during these trips running for seven days and six nights, tourists, will not only be able to visit Armenian cities, but may also visit Nagorno Karabakh, including Shusha, Agdere and familiarise themselves with the cultural and historical monuments. Head of the tourism department of the Azerbaijani culture and tourism ministry Aydin Ismiyev told Trend their department had received no information, but noted that the ministry has repeatedly informed the World Tourism Organisation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of similar information. Azerbaijan has no control over such trips, the head of the ministry's domestic tourism department Mahir Gahramanov told Trend on Thursday. However the ministry has always expressed its displeasure at such circumstances. "In such cases we always express our protest and inform the Foreign Ministry and other authorised departments about this, but we cannot constantly monitor it," he said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az