US Department of State warns tourists about danger of visiting Northern Caucasus

Tourists from the United States are advised not to travel to Northern Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.

The US Department of State has divided the countries into four categories of security for tourists from the United States. Russia has been included in the third group, where tourists are advised not to travel to because of serious security risks because of the constant threat of terror acts and the fact that US citizens are "often" subjected to harassment there. Tourists from the United States are advised not to travel to Northern Caucasus and Crimea and to avoid demonstrations.

The US Department State notes that US tourists may face danger, including in the form of kidnapping for ransom, throughout Northern Caucasus, including Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, the Stavropol Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

The third group on security also includes Turkey, Lebanon, Nigeria, Cuba, Honduras, and several other countries.

Azerbaijan is included by the US Department of State has in the category of countries where tourists are asked to observe enhanced caution "in connection with the risk of terrorism." The same second category includes France, Great Britain, and Spain.

The US Department of State also recommends not visiting Nagorno-Karabakh in connection with the conflict.

Armenia and Georgia are classified for the first category of countries, where usual precautions are sufficient.

The fourth, the most dangerous category, includes Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Central Africa. The US Department of State recommends US tourists not to travel to those countries because of the threat of life.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.