Bulgarian FM: Use of Khojaly airport must comply with int'l law
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov visiting Azerbaijan has said using the Khojaly airport must be based on international law, Trend news agency reported.
Mladenov was commenting on Armenians' plans to open the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region occupied by Armenian armed forces since a 1990s war.
He said that flights may be made in accordance with international law and practice of flights.
While speaking about international practice of flights, the Bulgarian minister was likely to mean the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and the principles of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to them, the flights to the occupied territories can not be carried out without the consent of the country over which they are made.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the area, head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration Arif Mammadov said earlier.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation 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 per cent 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 peace negotiations.