Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia's steps taken to commission the Khojaly airport in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenian armed forces since a war in the early 1990s, were condemned in a letter sent to the European Commission chief and the chairs of political parties represented in the European Parliament.

The letter about Armenia's plan to re-open the airport was sent by the European Azerbaijan Society's representative office in Brussels to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and chairs of the European Peoples' Party, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Greens-European Free Alliance and the European Conservatives and Reformists Group.

The letter says that the Khojaly airport was closed in late February 1992, after being occupied by Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The airport was rebuilt in 2010-2011, but its opening has already been delayed for over a year. This action, supported by Armenia and the self-proclaimed 'Nagorno-Karabakh Republic', run by ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan's occupied region, harms a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and violates international law and four UN Security Council resolutions.

The letter says the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, tasked with achieving a negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, previously issued a statement expressing concern that the planned opening of the airport could lead to further increased tension. According to the letter, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar subsequently commented: "The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said that the parties need to abstain from steps that may affect the peace process. The opening of the airport in Khojaly may create tensions in the peace talks."

"We appreciate that the European Parliament has given increased attention to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the past months, but we consider this action by Armenian authorities to be contrary to ongoing EU efforts to achieve a negotiated peace. It is also inconsistent with the views expressed by the European Parliament in the report on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan adopted in 2012," the letter said.

It concludes with a call for a public denouncement of the airport opening proposal as it is a further infringement upon Azerbaijani territorial sovereignty, its airspace, and the most unhelpful development at this crucial time as both sides seek to end the stalemate in negotiations with the assistance of the mediating Minsk Group,

A copy of the appeal has been presented to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, and Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Earlier the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that commissioning the airport in Khojaly is an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation adopted on December 7, 1944 in Chicago.

It is worthy of note that Armenia's provocative steps to commission the Khojaly airport concern not only Azerbaijan, but also Europe.

Recently the parliamentarians of several European countries as well as the European Parliament condemned the illegal flights from the Khojaly airport, noting that such steps harm the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and chair of the Azerbaijan All-Party Parliamentary Group, British MP Chris Pincher also voiced his attitude towards the issue, saying that the Khojaly airport cannot operate legally, as unauthorized flights through Azerbaijani airspace are not permitted without that government's sanction.

"The right time to start talking about re-opening the airport is once the hostilities are over, and when the people who were expelled from their homes and who currently languish in displaced person camps are given the chance to return to their homes," he said.

German MPs, including member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, former Federal Minister of Economy Michael Glos and Bundestag member from Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union parliamentary group, Olav Gutting, also criticized Armenia's illegal plans regarding the Khojaly airport.

Glos said that Armenian armed forces must withdraw from Azerbaijan's occupied territories and follow the UN Security Council resolutions that refer to the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions of Azerbaijan.

"The principle of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity must not be called into question. Otherwise, the refugees would wait in vain for their return. The territories which have been occupied by the Armenian forces are home for the refugees. The military must withdraw from there immediately," he said.

Gutting in turn said Armenia's illegal plans for the Khojaly airport hinder peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Member of European Parliament Kristina Ojuland also condemned any action to open the Khojaly airport in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying such an action would not only cause damage to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, but also violate international law, the four relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Chicago Convention.

The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Civil Aviation Conference support Azerbaijan's position on the issue. Document No.121 on airports of the ICAO cited the Khojaly airport as property of Azerbaijan.

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.

Since the brutal war 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.