Press Review 02.08.17

After the steps taken by France to equip Armenia with Bastion multi-purpose armored vehicles and Caesar self-propelled artillery units, the European Union's decision to send military aid to Armenia is a very wrong and dangerous step and serves to increase tensions in the region. Such activities by the European Union are clearly unilateral and biased, and are a manifestation of the policy of creating "divisive lines" in the region. Aykhan Hajizadeh, press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said this while commenting on the decision of the Council of the European Union to provide military aid in the amount of 10 million euros to Armenia within the framework of the European Peace Fund.

The Council today renewed the EU restrictive measures in view of the Russian Federation's continuing actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine for a further 6 months, until 31 January 2025.

On July 22, the President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on amendments to the Regulation "On the ASAN Viza system". The changes affected the list of data required for foreigners to obtain an electronic visa through the ASAN Viza system. Thus, foreign citizens no longer need to enter information into the system about whether they visited Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia after 1991.

Istanbul University doctoral student, economist Fazil Gasimov has been on hunger strike for 38 days in the Baku pre-trial detention center. He is protesting against an illegal arrest.