The Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA made a statement regarding the information on putting Khankendi (Khojaly) airport into operation by separatist Nagorno-Karabakh regime. Our editorial office received the text of the statement from the headquarters of Elkhan Suleymanov, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA, MP from Shamakhi.
Statement
by Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA regarding the plans of the aggressive regime to put into operation Khankendi airport
Armenia, which has occupied 20% of Azerbaijani territories, including Nagorno Karabakh and 7 surrounding regions, and its so-called “Nagorno Karabakh” separatist regime have recently spread information regarding the operation of Khankendi (Khojaly) airport illegally built in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
In this regard, Azerbaijani Delegation to the Euronest PA once more stresses that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has been recognized by international community. According to imperative standards of the current international law, the acquisition of territories through armed aggression and occupation cannot be considered legal in any case. On the other hand, by using the wording “Nagorno Karabakh region of the Azerbaijan Republic” in its Resolutions No. 822, 854, 873, and 884, UN Security Council has again confirmed that Nagorno Karabakh is an Azerbaijani territory and remains an inseparable part of Azerbaijan. The similar approach has been reflected in the documents of the European Parliament, PACE, OSCE PA, and other international organizations. Thus, any activity in the occupied territories without Azerbaijan’s permission both contradicts the existing international legal standards and brutally violates the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders towards the Azerbaijan Republic.
Therefore, it is obvious that Nagorno Karabakh airspace is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan’s airspace and if the aggressive regime conducts civil aviation flights in Nagorno Karabakh airspace, it will violate Chicago Convention 1994 on Civil Aviation. Flights in this airspace can be conducted only with the agreement of the State Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and only this institution can allow using this airspace. Therefore, none of the international organizations can certify the aggressive regime to put into operation Khankendi (Khojaly) airport. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) should have obvious position on this issue.
The Azerbaijani Delegation to the EuroNest PA stresses that while international community together with the mediation of OSCE Minsk Group is making efforts to achieve peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to build mutual trust between the conflict parties, the attempts of the aggressive regime to illegally put into operation Khankendi (Khojaly) airport is of provocative nature and prove that Armenian side is not interested in the solution of the conflict.
We thereby state that the intention of the aggressive regime to put into operation Khankendi (Khojaly) airport escalates the atmosphere of distrust between the parties, destructively influences the process of negotiations, serves to realize claims on changing the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and to internationally legalize the occupational crimes.