Israeli media: Blogger Alexander Lapshin ready to apologize to Azerbaijan

Baku. 19 January. REPORT.AZ/ Blogger Alexander Lapshin has been in custody in Belarus following his visit to the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and his subsequent critical posts about the Azeri regimeready to apologize to Azerbaijan. 

Report informs citing the Haaretz, high-ranking source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel said.

The official said Israel suggested Lapshin write a letter apologizing to Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh. In exchange Azerbaijan will revoke the arrest warrant it issued against him and withdraw its extradition request from Belarus.

A. Lapshin is kept in Minsk detention facility No1 for about one month. A.Lapshin with double citizenship (Israeli and Russian) was arrested in Belarus on December 14 upon request of Azerbaijan security agencies.

Notably, according to statement from Azerbaijan Public Prosecutor Office, Alexander Lapshin, who holds citizenship of different countries, colluding and entering into criminal relationship with other persons residing in Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenian armed forces and violating clauses of laws of the Azerbaijan Republic “On state borders” and “On passports”, entered occupied territories of the Azerbaijan Republic in April 2011 and October 2012 without proper documents, bypassing border checkpoints; he indicated “Nagorno Karabakh”, beside Azerbaijan and Armenia, among independent states, where he had travelled, on his personal page “http//puerrtto.livejournal.com”, aiming at international propagation of illegal political regime, and openly called for disintegration of internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan Republic through his statement on April 6 and June 29 of 2016 supporting “independence” of illegal regime established on occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Considering open calls of A. Lapshin against Azerbaijani state and elements of illegal crossing of border in his activities, the Office of Public Prosecutor of Azerbaijan started criminal investigation against him in accordance with clauses 281.2 (open statement against state) and 318.2 (illegal crossing of state border of Azerbaijan Republic) of Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic and filed an international search request.

A. Lapshin was detained after measures taken by security forces of Republic of Belarus. Legal arrangements aimed at A.Lapshin’s extradition to Azerbaijan are underway.