Germany opposes opening of airport in Khojaly

German Minister of State Cornelia Pieper has responded to MP Catherine Werner about the opening of an airport in Stepanakart, Khojaly. She said that opening the airport without Azerbaijan’s permission would violate the cease-fire agreement of 1994 and escalate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said on July 13, 2012, that opening the airport in Stepanakart could not alter status quo and urged sides to find a diplomatic solution.

The federal government of Germany and the EU approve the call of the OSCE Minsk Group for Azerbaijan and Armenia to avoid actions that could provoke tensions.

Pieper’s response was published in the light of the upcoming visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to Germany.