Azernews.Az

The issue of opening Khojaly airport is a provocation by the Armenian government, French parliament member Nathalie Goulet said in an interview with Cihan news agency.

"The issue of opening the airport in Khojaly is a provocation that will damage peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Goulet said.

She also noted that she sees herself as an honorary citizen of Azerbaijan and will protect the interests of that country in the international arena.

Earlier, Armenian media reported on the commissioning of the airport at Khojaly in the near future.

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

Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace over 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 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.

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