Azerbaijan, Baku, April 21 / Trend /
The U.S. and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs attest that Azerbaijan does not intend to shoot down civilian aircrafts, the Voice of America quotes the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Gordon, as saying.
"The U.S. previously voiced its clear position on this matter. Threats on destroying civilian aircrafts are unacceptable," Gordon said while commenting on Armenia's intentions to carry out flights to Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov said Azerbaijan will not use force against civilian targets.
Armenia has no right to operate the airport in Khankendi, built in the Azerbaijani occupied territories. This contradicts all international conventions and will not be allowed by any international organizations, including an influential organization such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), AZAL spokesman Maharram Safarli said earlier.
Azerbaijan has already informed the organization about the carrying out of inadmissible flights from this airport.
The Armenian side plans to open the airport in Khankendi in May.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent 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.