Henrikh Mkhitaryan is said to be absent when Arsenal travel to FK Qarabag in the Europa League. Conflicts between states are the reason. Arsenal will face FK Qarabag in the second matchday of the Europa League Group E. The Gunners must travel to Baku’s Olympic Stadium, Baku, Thursday (4/10/2018). Mkhitaryan, who is from Armenia, is said to be absent on a trip to Baku. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is said to be the cause.
As quoted from the Independent, Armenia and Azerbaijan currently have no diplomatic relations. Both countries are linked to conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The tension is claimed to continue to increase.
Armenians themselves are not permitted to travel to Azerbaijan. However, there are special exceptions for athletes to travel there. This has made Mkhitaryan said to have chosen to miss while visiting Azerbaijan to face Gabala FK, in October 2015. At that time, Mkhitaryan was still playing for Borussia Dortmund. But the Azerbaijani embassy claimed that Mkhitaryan citizenship status did not affect visa making to Azerbaijan. They considered that there were certain conditions that made someone truly banned from Azerbaijan.
“The only aspect where the conflict affects the entry permit of foreigners to Azerbaijan is whether the person has previously visited Nagorno-Karabakh and other areas occupied in Azerbaijan without the written consent of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the embassy statement said. “The decision to grant an Azerbaijani visa to all foreign nationals is subject to certain rules and regulations based on national laws and the Azerbaijan international agreement.”\
“Therefore, the right way to ask the question is whether Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be granted an Azerbaijani visa or not, which cannot be answered in advance as is the case with any country including the UK, but whether the nationality will influence him to get an Azerbaijani visa, the answer is: no, “said their statement.After the group phase draw in August, Arsenal said they would make a decision about Mkhitaryan regarding a visit to Azerbaijan after talking to the player.
“The safety and security of all our players and staff is always a top priority. We will look at the situation, talk to players, and make decisions afterwards,” said an Arsenal spokesman.
ASL
Adrian Limanto
