Russian Journalist Visiting Artsakh on Baku's 'Black List'

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is discussing the inclusion of Grigory Klimov, a journalist from the Russian newspaper "Izvestia," on the country's 'black list' due to his visit to Artsakh.

This information was reported by the Azerbaijani service of Interfax, citing Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva, who stated that they have certain suspicions regarding Klimov and that it is likely the journalist will be included on the black list after discussions.

It is noteworthy that "Izvestia" published an article titled "The Time of War: 25 Years After the Ceasefire in Artsakh," written by Grigory Klimov, who visited Artsakh for the publication of the article.

"It is hard to imagine that 25 years ago, before the signing of the ceasefire agreement on May 12, blood was flowing here and the fates of thousands of people were destroyed," Klimov wrote.

The journalist emphasized that after the years of war, the capital Stepanakert is rapidly being rebuilt, while the strategically important city of Shushi is progressing slowly. Klimov also noted that despite the slow recovery process, "the Armenians have managed to engage in the restoration of mosques." When asked why they are restoring the mosques, locals responded, "Why not? After all, it is part of the city’s history."

Klimov wrote that from June 1-9, Stepanakert will become the center of European 'unrecognized' football as a European Championship will be held here among independent football associations (ConIFA).

"When it comes to the conflict, the majority of Artsakh Armenians express that they do not want to fight with Azerbaijan, but are ready to take up arms and head to the contact line in case of necessity," Klimov noted.