Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 7 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Head of the Azerbaijani Community in Nagorno-Karabakh Bayram Safarov said Armenians are building an airport in Nagorno Karabakh for Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people.
"The world has repeatedly stated that it recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and supports it," Safarov told journalists. "We have built a lot for them and they are using it. Armenia cannot build an airport meeting Azerbaijani standards. We will return to our lands and repair this airport once again."
Armenian media reported that an airport under construction in Khankendi will be commissioned in May 2011. The airport's passenger terminal is ready.
According to the information, the equipment used in construction was ordered and delivered from various countries. The separatist government claims that the airport will make its first flights on the Yerevan-Khankendi-Yerevan route. Later, it is expected to expand its flights.
Regarding rumors that the airport will carry out international flights, Safarov said the territory lacks the necessary space to construct an international airport.
"We lived there and we know that it is a mountainous area, and the climate also does not allow for the building of international airports," Safarov said.
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 United States - are currently holding the 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.