European Commission Directorate issues warning against commercial activities in occupied Karabakh
The European Commission's Commercial Directorate on Trade has posted a warning about the responsibility for the commercial activity of the European Union (EU) companies in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The warning says:
"According to the legislation of Azerbaijan, the European Union (EU) companies that operate directly or through a branch in Nagorno-Karabakh and / or surrounding areas are at risk of being subjected to civil and criminal liability, such as trafficking in persons and or may result in other legal measures, and may also affect the possibility of visiting Azerbaijan in the future."
Spokesman for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said that the reference to the Azerbaijani legislation in the text of the warning means recognition of Azerbaijan's jurisdiction over the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.
"This warning of the European Commission is the first step towards fulfilling the legitimate demands of our country to prevent the illegal activity of the EU's individuals and legal entities in the occupied territories. The continuing promotion of our principled position on the issue within the Joint Commissions on bilateral economic and trade cooperation with the EU at all levels, as well as existing formats of dialogue with the EU member states, has played an important role in achieving the initial results. Keeping this trend does not exclude any further and more effective measures taken by the EU in the future," he said.
"We are also aware that in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the EU's position on the South Caucasus and the Special Representative for the Crisis in Georgia (EUSR) is taken as the basis for making EU political decisions on our country. The EUSR reports and advises the Council of Europe's Political and Security Committee (EU ambassadors) in its activities. This means that, regardless of where it is published, all the EU member states are unequivocally obliged to adhere to the above warning," the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry noted.
According to him, the use of the above warning during debates in the European institutions in our country participates regarding the importance for the foreign individuals and legal entities to avoid illegal trade-offs in the occupied territories may play a role in promoting our principled position.
News.Az
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