Organizer of concert in Azerbaijan
Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told that Azerbaijan’s permanent delegation to UNESCO raised an issue that on what basis UNESCO’s logo was used by Music For Peace.
In response to Azerbaijan’s inquiry, UNESCO`s Secretariat said that this organization doesn’t have any basis to use the UNESCO’s logo and coordinate itself with the UNESCO. UNESCO protested this organization for illegal use of its logo and logo of UNESCO was removed from music-peace.com website.
Hajiyev said that this kind of act is unacceptable using the name and logo of UNESCO which recognizes the international law and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
“This fact in itself is the exposure of lie of the non-governmental organization which organizes such an illegal concert in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan claiming that it serves for peace and which, in fact, promotes the results of occupation and aggression,” he noted.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman added that the musicians who gave a concert in Khankendi, the occupied region of Azerbaijan, have been included in the list of “persona non grata”.
Note that, the poster on the official website of the organization mentions the names of pianist Maria Nemtsova and saxophonists Vitaly Vatulya, Dmitry Uvarov, Evgeny Novikov and Juan Manuel Dominguez. Upon the statement of protest by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, one of the founders of "Music for Peace" organization, Maria Nemtsova said that they are engaged in music, not politics and expressed regret at being unable to give a concert in Azerbaijan.