Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 14 /Trend E. Ismailov/
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has confirmed its negative attitude to attempts to open regular flights to Khojaly airport on Azerbaijan's occupied territories, the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Administration's message posted on its website said on Monday.
ICAO has confirmed the inadmissibility of unauthorised flights to the airport of Khojaly on Azerbaijan's territory, the message said.
ICAO's position was confirmed by the organisation's Secretary General Raymond Benjamin during a meeting with the Azerbaijani delegation which participated at the 38th session of the ICAO assembly in Montreal.
"ICAO Secretary General has confirmed the inadmissibility of unauthorised flights over Azerbaijan, the territorial integrity of which is recognised by the UN and confirmed by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh," the message said.
The meeting was attended by the Director of ICAO European and North Atlantic Office (Paris), Luis Fonseca de Almeida.
The message said this issue has also been raised by the Azerbaijani side during a meeting with the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler.
Noting the peaceful efforts of the Azerbaijani side to prevent the flights to Khojaly airport, IATA management has reaffirmed its commitment to ICAO's position and negative attitude to efforts on opening regular flights to Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
Commissioning of Khojaly airport is an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation signed in Chicago on December 7, 1944.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of airspace over the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh which is occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee the safety of flights over this territory, Azerbaijan's Civil Aviation Administration said earlier.
Armenia's steps towards the commissioning of the airport in Khojaly are the attempts to violate international legal norms. This air space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is not possible.
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.