Azerbaijan will not permit civil flights to Nagorno-Karabakh

The recent visit of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to Nagorno-Karabakh has provoked new talks on opening an airport in the region. Azerbaijan says that Armenia’s plans to open a civil flight service in Nagorno-Karabakh violate international law. Azerbaijan cannot control a region occupied by Armenia, so it cannot guarantee the security of flights, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said, Interfax Azerbaijan reports.

The director of Azerbaijani Civil Aviation, Arif Mamedov, said that flights through Azerbaijan need Baku’s permission. The self-proclaimed authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot guarantee security of flights. Mamedov added that equipment for the airport was provided by a French company that was unaware of Armenia’s plans to use it at the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mamedov confirmed that a letter was filed for the ICAO president to meet the French company’s officials and prevent such incidents next time.

According to Mamedov, the ICAO received 7 warning messages from Azerbaijan about illegal construction of the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, USA, France) visited Nagorno-Karabakh on July 13. They warned that flights cannot be used to affect the status of the disputed region. The co-chairs welcomed assurances that Armenia and Azerbaijan would not use force.