Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 12 / Trend /
Use of Khojaly airport must be based on international laws, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said.
During his visit to Azerbaijan, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov was commenting on Armenia's plans to open Khojaly airport. He said that flights may be made in accordance with international law and accepted flight practice.
While speaking about international flight practice, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister was likely to have been referring to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and the principles of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to them, flights to occupied territories can not be carried out without the consent of the countries over which they are made.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh which is occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the area, head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Arif Mammadov said earlier.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent 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 the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.