Azernews.Az

Turkey shares the position of Azerbaijan on the illegal opening of the airport in occupied Azerbaijani region, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Baku on Monday.

"The intention to open the airport in Khankandi is a negative step. The primary goal should be a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Davutoglu said.

He said Turkey condemns the move and stated that this step is unacceptable.

"This move could harm the peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We stand by Azerbaijan on this issue and will support it," the minister added.

Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the area, the head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Arif Mammadov said earlier.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.