Baku explained why they allowed Armenian grossmeister Levon Aronian to take part in Chess World Cup in Baku.

 “In certain cases, actually taking into consideration some very important landmark moments, a country, in this case the Azerbaijani MFA, which follows this moment, can make such a decision,” Azerbaijani Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov said, referring to Aronian’s participation in the tournament held in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I think it is in name of sports and solidarity that this step was made,” the Minister said.

Azad Rahimov declined to comment on Armenian footballer Henrikh Mkitaryan’s (Borussia Dortmund) arrival in Baku.

According to the set tradition, everyone who has stepped on Karabakh’s land, fromMontserrat Caballé to German Sterligov, is included in Azerbiajan’s black list or comes under fire. However, this wasn’t the case with Levon Aronian.