Ramil Usubov: "Iranian citizens' immigration into Azerbaijan exaggerated"

According to APA, the Minister said that foreigners were increasing in number in the country every year noting that this number'd increased by 5.4% in 2005 in comparison with 2005.

"The number of Iranians immigrated into Azerbaijan has also increased. But it does not mean Iranian citizens are massively migrating to Azerbaijan. You cannot forecast what will happen in Iran. We don’t wish any emergency in Iran. In general, most of immigrants in Azerbaijan are from Iran, Turkey and the CIS countries. Azerbaijan does not impose a ban on immigration into the country. Any foreign citizen can travel to Azerbaijan in legal way. However, sometimes legal immigrants do not leave the country in time. The Migration Service is dealing with this issue through applying our laws," the Interior Minister said.

Mr.Usubov also said that there are about 4,000 foreigners in the country, "The Migration Service has detailed information on their backgrounds. We have registered 1,500 people, who do not have citizenship. About 150-180 persons per year appeal for citizenship of Azerbaijan," Usubov reported.