Azerbaijan: Bloomberg photojournalist Diana Markosyan deported

On June 28 in the evening the authorities of Azerbaijan expelled from the country a Bloomberg employee, who was detained at Baku Airport, said a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the republic.

Diana Markosyan, a Bloomberg photojournalist of Armenian origin, was detained by border guards at Baku Airport upon arrival.

"I'm extremely surprised at what is happening. For three weeks already we have been negotiating with the MFA of Azerbaijan, requesting permission for my arrival. A senior official of the MFA of Azerbaijan said that everything would be fine and I would be permitted to come. When I appeared at the Baku Airport, I was told that my entry is banned because of my origin, even though I had never been to Armenia. And a representative of the MFA of Azerbaijan told me that he could do nothing," said Diana Markosyan.

"I could understand everything, including ban on entry, but why you promise what you cannot do?" the "Turan" quotes the deported Bloomberg employee as saying.

The representative of the MFA of Azerbaijan explains that the state is at war with Armenia, and appearance of a journalist of Armenian origin in Baku may gave rise to problems with her security, the "Interfax" reports.