Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been handed a boost in his quest to play in the Europa League final after Azerbaijan's foreign ministry indicated he would be able to enter the country.
Mkhitaryan has been unable to play in games in the nation in the past — including the group stage clash against Qarabag earlier this season — due to tension between Azerbaijan and his native Armenia.
There are issues over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994.
Following Arsenal's win against Valencia on Thursday, there were suggestions Mkhitaryan would not be able to play.
However, when asked about Mkhitaryan, foreign ministry spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said: 'Many major sports events have been hosted in Azerbaijan, and Armenian athletes have taken part in them. Sports and politics are separate.'
Arsenal has said it is seeking guarantees from UEFA that Mkhitaryan can travel for the May 29 final against Chelsea.
UEFA said Friday that it had received assurances from Azerbaijan's FA, but didn't mention a government commitment.
'Assurances were sought on this matter by UEFA and Arsenal, with the Azerbaijan Football Association confirming that there would be no problem for the player in question to enter and stay in Azerbaijan and that all necessary security measures would be in place,' UEFA said.
It is the first time Azerbaijan has hosted a major tournament final, and it will also hold games at next year's European Championships.
Azerbaijan's national airline has also said measures will be in place to cope with a surge of passengers at the country's main airport in Baku.
Sports minister Azad Rahimov said on Friday that Baku was 'completely ready' to host the game. Tickets for the fixture will double as entry visas for the country.
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