BUCHAREST, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. The Romanians have also been included in the "persona non grata" list publicized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. The "Armenpress" reporter in Romania stated that the Romanian media reports that Romanian journalist Ștefan Candea, photographer Petruț Călinescu, and poet Marius Chelaru have been declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for "illegally visiting the occupied territories". Journalist Ștefan Candea and photographer Petruț Călinescu paid a visit to Artsakh in 2010. Poet Marius Chelaru visited Stepanakert in 2012 to attend an international poetry festival.

Ștefan Candea is a freelance journalist and co-founder of the Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism in Bucharest, Romania, and is currently working with ICIJ on an upcoming investigation.

Candea is a co-founder of the Romanian Centre for Investigative Journalism, and worked for the first investigative TV show in Romania, Reporteri Incognito. Candea has worked for Deutsche Welle, in print, radio, TV and online, and he did freelance research and production work for several foreign media outlets, including the BBC, Channel 4, ITN, ZDF and Canal Plus. Since March 2001, he has been a correspondent for Reporters sans Frontieres in Romania.

Candea is a member of the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists and has won several awards including the IRE Tom Renner Award and the Overseas Press Club of America Award for online journalism.

Petruț Călinescu, born 1976, is a freelance photojournalist based in Bucharest, Romania. Covering documentaries and social issues, his reportages has been published in National Geographic and Esquire. He was also a contributor for New York Times, Courrier International, The Times, Business Week, Paris Match, and various international magazines and newspapers. He won 2 times the title of the Best Romanian Photojournalist and recently in 2007 an Award of Excellence, for a sport feature, in POYi - Picture of the Year International.

The aforesaid funny list of "persona non grata" contains 14 deputies of Russian Parliament, 5 reporters of German ZDF TV channel, president of Berlin academy, deputies of Iranian, Slovakian, Argentinean parliaments, famous Russian economist Victor Sheinis, Baroness Cox, President of military academy of Denmark, Russian political scientist Sergey Marcedonov, 14 deputies of French parliament, Italian singer Al Bano, 8 deputies of European Parliament, reporter of Washington Post in Moscow Will Englund, reporter of New York Times Anastasia Taylor Wint, Phillip Kirkorov's father – Bedros Kirkorov, famous opera singer Montserrat Caballe, a deputy of Canadian Parliament.  

The list also includes 6 American doctors, 7 British deputies, a Greek deputy, 3 deputies of Swiss Parliament, editor in chief of EU foreign policy magazine, former EU special representative in South Caucasus Peter Samnabi, 5 deputies of Uruguayan parliament, famous Swiss cosmonaut Claudi Nikolia, 6 Australian deputies,  a deputy of German Bundestag and other famous people.