Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia's statement on the commissioning of the Khojaly airport in the occupied Azerbaijani territories has sparked concerns not only in Azerbaijan, but also among the international community.

Norway has condemned flights out of Khojaly airport. "Norway condemns carrying out flights from this airport," Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told media on Monday after talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.

He said Armenia should not resort to this provocative action, noting that Baku has already voiced its position on the issue to Yerevan.

The two South Caucasus republics fought a brutal war that concluded with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. Since then, 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.

Minister Espen Barth Eide said Norway supports the efforts of the Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The minister added, "Our country considers the status quo as unacceptable and supports the development of the region."

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.

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

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.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that Khojaly airport's activity is illegal until the Armenian forces are fully withdrawn from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

"After Armenian troops are withdrawn and a peace agreement reached, it is possible to use this airport for humanitarian purposes," he told media on Monday.

Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan's position over the commissioning of Khojaly airport by Armenians is clear and the issue has been discussed with the Minsk Group co-chairmen.

The foreign minister also said he will meet with the Minsk Group co-chairs in Paris on January 28, adding that the format of the meeting has not yet been determined.

Commissioning the airport in Khojaly is an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said earlier.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said last week 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.

International flights from the Khojaly airport, constructed in 1978, were prohibited after the occupation of territories by Armenia. The Khojaly airport, which 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 (ICAO) the Khojaly airport was cited as property of Azerbaijan.

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 airport in Khankendi -- the center of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic run by ethnic Armenians in the occupied Azerbaijani territories -- 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.