Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Instead of making efforts for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenia continues its hostile actions against Azerbaijan, jeopardizing the negotiation process over the settlement of the long-standing dispute.

Recent evidence of this attitude is Armenia's statement on the commissioning of the Khojaly airport in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Armenian media recently reported that Armenians have restored the Khojaly airport in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. The "prime minister" of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh has declared that in the near future technical flights will be carried out at the airport.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule during a meeting with the head of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan on Wednesday stressed the need for Azerbaijan and Armenia to seek a diplomatic solution to the issue pertaining to the airport in Khojaly.

The same day Commissioner Fule posted a press statement on the European Commission website saying the discussions focused on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, including the issue of possible flights to the airport in Azerbaijan's occupied territories.

Fule reiterated the EU's continued support for the mediating OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairs and their efforts in facilitating a peaceful settlement of the dispute.

The commissioner also stressed the need for the sides to seek a diplomatic solution to the issues relating to the mentioned airport and to avoid any actions that could fuel tensions in the region.

The provocative steps of Armenia raised concerns and sparked harsh criticism in Azerbaijan.

The attempts of Armenia to carry out transportation of passengers between Khojaly and Yerevan airports are provocative steps of Armenia aimed at delaying peace talks and dealing a blow upon the negotiation process, deputy executive secretary of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party, MP Mubariz Gurbanli said on Wednesday.

"These attempts are illegal," Gurbanli said. "The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) treats the issue the same way. Official Baku expresses its protests, citing the provisions and principles reflected in international legal norms and conventions. In all cases the law is on our side. Diplomatic efforts to curb these efforts continue."

He stressed that Armenia should draw a conclusion from the warnings of Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan has demonstrated a consistent position on this issue and the main point of our policy is to return all the occupied Azerbaijani territories. The Azerbaijani government rules out any compromise regarding this issue. The biggest compromise of our government is that we support a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Gurbanli emphasized.

He said Azerbaijan reserves the right to liberate its occupied territories, in accordance with international law and conventions. "Azerbaijan can also do it with the assistance of allies."

The Azerbaijani side reiterated that preventive actions will be taken in case Armenia commissions and implements flights from the airports in the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Eldar Sabiroglu said in a televised interview that the Air Force of Azerbaijan is combat-ready and the military will carry out its duties in case the country's airspace is violated.

"If Armenia doesn't want war and is keen on a peaceful settlement of the problem, it should refrain from such provocative steps," Sabiroglu said.

Furthermore, an official of the Air Force and Air Defense Force told a local news agency on condition of anonimity that air defense forces of Azerbaijan oversee the country's airspace, including the occupied regions.

According to the source, everything that occurs within the airspace of the country is permanently controlled by means of radar systems. The Azerbaijani army is in combat readiness to prevent any attempt by the enemyto violate the airspace.

"Even drones run by Armenians over the Karabakh sky are registered. Attempts of Armenians to carry out flights forbidden in this territory will be prevented in any way. We control all the processes and are ready to take pre-emptive action at any instant. This can be done by any means, which the enemy knows well."

According to the official, the international conventions which Azerbaijan has joined allow it to take measures concerning attempts to violate the internationally recognized airspace.

Military experts also say that administering any flights from the Khojaly airport in the occupied Azerbaijani territories is a violation of the borders according to all international norms. Referring to these norms, Azerbaijan has the right to defend its borders. Experts say Azerbaijan has enough power to prevent provocative acts of Armenia. Azerbaijan can even use S300 missile systems. They say the S300 rocket system needs only a few seconds to strike planes flying at an altitude of 3-4 kilometers that carry out flights from the Khojaly airport. The capabilities of this modern missile complex are said to be extremely large.

International flights from the Khojaly airport, constructed in 1978, were prohibited after the occupation of territories by Armenia. The Khojaly airport that has been registered in international organizations with the name UB13 is a facility with military purposes.

In the document No.121 on airports of the International Civil Aviation Organization the Khojaly airport was cited as property of Azerbaijan.

The spokesman of the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said that carrying out technical or other flights by Armenia will be interpreted as confirmation of the occupation against Azerbaijan.

Armenian media also reported that a plane purchased by an Armenian billionnaire who lives in Argentine is already in Armenia to carry out flights from Yerevan to Khankendi, the center of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic run by ethnic Armenians in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

The "prime minister" of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh earlier said that the Khankendi airport will launch technical flights at the start of this year. In the beginning it will carry out technical flights that will last 3-4 months and after the completion of technical procedures passenger transportation is expected to begin.

It is planned that flights from the Khankendi airport to Yerevan will be carried out one or two times a day.

Armenia's statement on commissioning airports in the occupied Azerbaijani territories is not new. Armenia at the end of last year said it will commission the Khojaly and Khankendi airports in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan has officially reiterated that commissioning airports in Nagorno-Karabakh is an open violation of the convention on international civil aviation.

Previously, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry urged all international companies operating in the Khojaly airport to immediately stop their illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"Otherwise, Azerbaijan will take appropriate steps," Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said earlier.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said last year that commissioning the Khankendi airport would be an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which was signed in Chicago in 1944.

The ICAO and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) support Azerbaijan's position on the issue.

Since the brutal war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that concluded with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. Peace talks, brokered by Russia, France and the U.S., the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, have been mostly fruitless so far.