Azerbaijan, Baku, March 14 / Trend, E. Mehdiyev /
British deputy foreign minister Simon Fraser has not been informed about Armenian government plans for Khojaly airport, but he knows that there is concern over it.
"I myself raised this during my meeting in Yerevan," he told media at a briefing at Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy today. "What I think important is to avid surprises or unforeseeable actions in the situation like this.
He has also raised the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"This lasting conflict has an impact on both countries," he added.
"I know that this issue is very important for Azerbaijan," he said. "There is an international group for the conflict's settlement. It continues the process of settlement and I support the activity of this group. I believe that the end result is connected with the will of both parties and the international community must simply support for the peace settlement of the conflict."
Earlier, Armenian media reported on the intended commissioning of the airport in Khojaly in the near future.
The commissioning of the airport is an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (adopted on December 7, 1944 in Chicago), the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported earlier.
Azerbaijan will strengthen the legal use of the application of the Chicago convention. The country banned the use of its airspace over Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee safe flights in the area, the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration said earlier.
According to Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Armenia's steps towards the operation of the airport are attempts to violate international aviation law. This air space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is illegal.
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 namely 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.