British photographer new candidate for Azeri blacklist?

PanARMENIAN.Net - In 2011, the world's population reached 7 billion. Reduction programmes like China's one-child policy had been well documented – but nothing had been done on birth-encouragement schemes.

Nagorno Karabakh, a small region that has declared itself independent but remains unrecognised by the rest of the world, was one place actively trying to increase its population – by giving out cash at births and weddings, photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind said in an interview to The Guardian.

“This couple, Artak and Armine, received around £470 at their wedding. They could go on to get £150 for their first baby, £310 for the second, £780 for the third, and £1,110 for the fourth. Families with six children under the age of 18 get a house. These are significant amounts in a country where income is very low. Within three years of the incentive being introduced, the birth rate had spiked by 25%,” she said.

“It was July 2011 and the celebrations began at Armine's house, where she was getting ready with her friends. It is traditional to have two wedding parties, beginning at the bride's village and ending at the groom's. The day is long, there are lots of formalities – and even more drinking, eating and dancing. It was a challenge for me to keep moving and not to drink too much vodka, or eat too much of the delicious homemade cheeses and meats.

Although the distance is only 50km, it takes about five hours to reach Artak's village, which is on the border with Azerbaijan, inside a demilitarised zone. The demilitarised zone is heavily patrolled – by the Armenian army on the Nagorno Karabakh side and by the Azerbaijani army on the other. They often have stand-offs. Soldiers and civilians get killed,” the photographer said.

The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK Fakhraddin Gurbanov reacted to the article above, expressing “concern over the interview with Anastasia Taylor-Lind about her photo of a wedding in Nagorno Karabakh.”

“Arts, including photography, can potentially play an important role in bringing communities together, but people who use the arts need to be objective, unbiased and aim to highlight the plight of all people affected by conflicts,” Gurbanov said, pressing for Azerbaijan's "permission" needed for visitng Nagorno Karabakh.

Seems like Ms Taylor-Lind is a fresh candidate for the infamous Azeri black list.

On August 2, Azeri Foreign Ministry published the notorious blacklist, which includes Slovak politician Frantişek Mikloşko, Argentinean parliamentarian Jose Arbo, Russian expert Andrey Areshev, Baroness Caroline Cox, opera star Montserrat Caballé and many other famous personalities.

There’s no legal way to cross the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which has been closed since 1994. Only OSCE monitors are granted access to the line of demarcation in the south of Azerbaijan, and even they cannot enter Karabakh. Azeri Foreign Ministry refuses to reply to numerous inquiries of journalists and bloggers.