Armenia postpones opening of airport in Khankendi

The authorities of the breakaway republic of Nagorno-Karabakh have postponed opening the airport at Khankendi, Armenian media cite a local spokesman. The opening of the airport was postponed till May 9. The official said that this is not related to the reaction of Azerbaijan.

Vestnik Kavkaza reported that Baku gave a negative reaction to opening of the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh, controlled by the Armenian military. The old airport was built using Azerbaijani finance. It was shut down by Armenian military forces, who entered the region in the early 1990s.

Re-opening flights would be a violation of international law. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan decided to make the first flight to Khankendi to demonstrate Armenia's commitment to restoring air links between Yerevan and the breakaway republic.

Azerbaijan says that air links cannot be restored, as Nagorno-Karabakh has not been recognized by the international community. Air service would require approval from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Azerbaijan, which has sovereign rights over the territory.