Azerbaijan includes a MEP in "black list"

Martin Sonneborn, a member of the European Parliament from Germany, is declared persona non grata because of his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh without permission from Azerbaijan. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Azerbaijan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the list of undesirable persons had been first released by the Azerbaijani MFA in 2013, and since then it has been repeatedly updated. The "black list" includes foreigners who are banned from entering the country because of visiting the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh without permission of Baku. So, in August 2018, the Azerbaijani authorities refused entry to Albert Weiler, a member of the delegation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, since he was declared persona non grata back in 2014.

Martin Sonneborn visited Nagorno-Karabakh as a member of a delegation in August 2018, the "Sputnik Azerbaijan" reports with reference to Leyla Abdullaeva, the press secretary for the Azerbaijani MFA.

This year, Martin Sonneborn again visited Karabakh, this time as the head of a delegation of German professors, writers, and journalists. During meetings, the parties emphasized the importance of such visits as a means of combating the isolation of Nagorno-Karabakh, the "Public Radio of Armenia" reported.