Baku, Azerbaijan, July 1

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Iran denies participation of its athletes in competitions in Azerbaijan’s occupied Khankendi city, a source in the Iranian embassy in Baku told Trend.

The information about the participation of Iranian athletes in competitions in Khankendi wasn’t confirmed, the source noted.

“Participation in this event is illegal and the state hasn’t given its permission,” the embassy said. “If athletes participate in this sporting event individually, Iran won’t support them. The embassy will make every effort so that they don’t participate in the tournament.”

The Armenian media spread the information that 245 Iranian athletes from different cities of the country will take part in the competitions in the occupied Azerbaijani city of Khankendi.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.