Henrikh Mkhitaryan faces Arsenal Europa League visa heartache because of feud between Armenia and Azerbaijan

HENRIKH MKHITARYAN faces missing the Europa League final - because political tensions between his country Armenia and host nation Azerbaijan.

The Gunners booked a clash with Chelsea in Baku after beating Valencia 4-2 in their semi-final second-leg in Spain last night.

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Mkhitaryan came on as substitute in the victory, but he now risks heartache by not being able to play against Arsenal's London rivals on May 29 because he may not get a visa.

Host nation Azerbaijan have been at loggerhead's with the midfielder's country Armenia for three decades which resulted in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

The six-year conflict between Azerbaijan and the majority ethnic Armenians on the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh ended in 1994 - but since then there have been no diplomatic relations between the two nations.

And that causes a major political headache when it comes to Mkhitaryan, 30, being granted international clearance to play in the final.

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Arsenal have to apply for visas for all their players to enter Azerbaijan, but there is no guarantee the former Manchester United star will be granted one.

The political difficulties meant the Gunners decided not to even bother trying to take the player to the country when they faced Qarabag during the group stages of the competition this season.

And now they face a dilemma about whether to try to include him in their squad for the match against Chelsea.

It would be down to the government in Azerbaijan to approve a permit to travel, and such is the turmoil between themselves and Armenia the player could be caught up in the stand-off.

In the build up to the Qarabag tie, manager Unai Emery said: "He cannot travel here. My work is football.

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"I respect each person, I respect each culture, I respect each country. But I don’t know each situation in every country."

While playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2015, Mkhitaryan did not travel to face Gabala despite being told by UEFA that he would get a visa.

And there would also be increased fears for his personal safety in Baku as one of the most high-profile names in Armenia.