A Spanish opera singer, Montserrat Caballe, is declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan, according to "Interfax" referring to the country's embassy in Spain. The decision was adopted because on June 4 the singer visited Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia.
"We sent a protest note to the Spanish side, explaining the whole situation, and demanded an explanation regarding her visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The note stated that Caballe will not receive Azerbaijani visa, as she becomes persona non-grata," according to the Azerbaijani embassy.
In addition, the embassy clarified that the singer's managers were informed of the prohibition to visit the occupied territories in advance - as soon as it became known about the plans of the opera diva to visit the Nagorno Karabakh. The representatives of Caballe assured that she will not give concerts in the occupied territory.
However Caballe visited Nagorno-Karabakh on June 4, after her visit to Yerevan. During the visit, the singer, in particular, met with the leadership of the unrecognized republic and its president, Bako Sahakyan, and visited local sightseeing.—0—
Politics
-
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
Leave a review