BAKU -- Baku has declared Spain's prominent operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe persona non grata after she visited Azerbaijan's separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain announced to journalists on June 6 that a special note had been sent to the Spanish Foreign Ministry demanding an explanations.
On June 4, Caballe visited Nagorno-Karabakh and met with the breakaway region's separatist leaders.
According to Azerbaijani officials, Caballe's managers were warned about the possible consequences of her visit to what was termed "Azerbaijan’s occupied territories."
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mostly ethnic-Armenian-populated enclave surrounded by Azerbaijani territory.
Armenia, which controls Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding districts, has been locked in a dispute with Azerbaijan for more than two decades over the region.
Years of internationally mediated talks have failed to resolve the conflict.
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain announced to journalists on June 6 that a special note had been sent to the Spanish Foreign Ministry demanding an explanations.
On June 4, Caballe visited Nagorno-Karabakh and met with the breakaway region's separatist leaders.
According to Azerbaijani officials, Caballe's managers were warned about the possible consequences of her visit to what was termed "Azerbaijan’s occupied territories."
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mostly ethnic-Armenian-populated enclave surrounded by Azerbaijani territory.
Armenia, which controls Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding districts, has been locked in a dispute with Azerbaijan for more than two decades over the region.
Years of internationally mediated talks have failed to resolve the conflict.