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AZERBAIJAN PLEDGES "RELEVANT ACTION" OVER FLIGHTS ABOVE ARMENIAN-HELD AREAS
Turan news agency
Azerbaijan
July 24 2012
Baku, 24 July: Armenia's attempts to start unilateral operation of the
airport in Xocali in Nagornyy Karabakh will be assessed as a violation
of Azerbaijan's airspace, the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation
Department has said in a comment on statements made in Armenia about
their readiness to launch round-trip flights from Xankandi to Yerevan.
No foreign airplanes can fly over Azerbaijan's territory without
Azerbaijan's permission. If such a flight takes place, it will be
assessed as a border violation and relevant action will be taken,
the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Department reported.
Last week [OSCE] Minsk Group co-chairs [who mediate a peaceful solution
to Karabakh territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan]
issued a statement that the operation of the airport does not
affect the status of Karabakh, and urged the sides to refrain from
violence. However, by today's statement Baku made it clear that the
call by the co-chairs is not appropriate and that a violation of its
air borders will be prevented.
Commenting on possible scenarios, military experts have noted that
civil flights from Armenia to Karabakh will inevitably go through
Lacuna and Kalbacar (Azerbaijani districts outside Karabakh). Further,
aircraft will have to make a circle above Asgaran, and will inevitably
fly over Agdam District (another occupied district outside Karabakh).
Therefore, there are sufficient legal grounds to make those flights
impossible.
As to military means, Azerbaijan has more than enough air defence
systems to destroy these planes or to prevent flights. This also
applies to air-to-land missiles of various classes and modifications,
as well as electronic interference that can incapacitate or seriously
disrupt the electronic communications of aircraft. Thus, the flights
can be extremely dangerous for people on [the planes], even for Serzh
Sargsyan who promised to fly on the first flight.
From: A. Papazian
Turan news agency
Azerbaijan
July 24 2012
Baku, 24 July: Armenia's attempts to start unilateral operation of the
airport in Xocali in Nagornyy Karabakh will be assessed as a violation
of Azerbaijan's airspace, the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation
Department has said in a comment on statements made in Armenia about
their readiness to launch round-trip flights from Xankandi to Yerevan.
No foreign airplanes can fly over Azerbaijan's territory without
Azerbaijan's permission. If such a flight takes place, it will be
assessed as a border violation and relevant action will be taken,
the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Department reported.
Last week [OSCE] Minsk Group co-chairs [who mediate a peaceful solution
to Karabakh territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan]
issued a statement that the operation of the airport does not
affect the status of Karabakh, and urged the sides to refrain from
violence. However, by today's statement Baku made it clear that the
call by the co-chairs is not appropriate and that a violation of its
air borders will be prevented.
Commenting on possible scenarios, military experts have noted that
civil flights from Armenia to Karabakh will inevitably go through
Lacuna and Kalbacar (Azerbaijani districts outside Karabakh). Further,
aircraft will have to make a circle above Asgaran, and will inevitably
fly over Agdam District (another occupied district outside Karabakh).
Therefore, there are sufficient legal grounds to make those flights
impossible.
As to military means, Azerbaijan has more than enough air defence
systems to destroy these planes or to prevent flights. This also
applies to air-to-land missiles of various classes and modifications,
as well as electronic interference that can incapacitate or seriously
disrupt the electronic communications of aircraft. Thus, the flights
can be extremely dangerous for people on [the planes], even for Serzh
Sargsyan who promised to fly on the first flight.
From: A. Papazian