Accusations on foreigners conducting illegal excavations in “Azikh” cave named

Baku. 2 March. REPORT.AZ/ Interpol’s central bureau in Armenia confirmed that they have received letter of Azerbaijan addressed to member states.

Report informs referring to Armenian media, press service of police department told.

According to information, the document informs that a group including Armenian and foreign scientists carried out excavation works in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh territories of Azerbaijan in 2016, and they were declared internationally wanted.

Notably, according to information spread by office of public prosecutor of Azerbaijan, they sent inquires to Interpol on persons who illegally traveled to territories occupied by Armenia.

Investigation department on grave crimes under Office of Public Prosecutor of the Azerbaijan Republic started criminal investigation based on respective clauses of Criminal Code upon emerged substantial suspicions on archeological excavations in “Azikh” cave located in occupied territories of Azerbaijan carried out since year 2002 by employee of Molecular Biology Institute of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Levon Yepiskopyan, researcher of Spain National Museum of Natural Sciences Yolanda Fernandez-Jalvo, director of “Azokh” project of Great Britain’s Blandford Museum Tania King and researcher of London Natural History Museum Peter Andrews, as well as financial and other types of support to excavation works by Spain National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology of the same country, Great Britain’s Galway University, London branch of Armenian General Benevolent Union.

Conformity of those activities with legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic and norms of international humanitarian law is currently being investigated. Due to substantial suspicions for accusation, those persons are accused with proper clauses of Criminal Code of Azerbaijan Republic by decision of the court and proper inquiry was sent to Interpol to launch international search for those persons.