Baku, Azerbaijan, May 25
Trend:
The State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan will take measures to prevent illegal flights from the Khojaly airport, in accordance with the Law on Aviation and the Rules of Use of Airspace of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a source in the aviation administration told Trend May 25.
The source was commenting on the attempt of the Armenian side to organize flights from the Khojaly airport in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories under the guise of tourism.
Taking into account that the Khojaly airport is located in the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and it is impossible to ensure the safety of flights over this area, this territory was declared as prohibited for civil aviation flights by the State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan in accordance with the Law on Aviation, the source added.
Official information regarding the ban on flights is also secured in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) of Azerbaijan, the source noted.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.