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Azerbaijan Protests Planned Airport in Nagorno-Karabakh

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  • Azerbaijan Protests Planned Airport in Nagorno-Karabakh

    AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS PLANNED AIRPORT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
    By Mina Muradova (04/27/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)

    The three Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia held a
    meeting in Moscow on April 22 to discuss several issues related to the
    resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
    Nagorno-Karabakh. An issue of special concern is the increased tension
    along the frontline due to intensifying cease-fire violations over
    recent months.
    Observers said that tensions peaked when Armenian President Serzh
    Sargsyan announced his intention to be the first passenger on the
    first flight from Yerevan to a reopened airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.
    Moreover, the Armenian side announced that the opening ceremony will
    be held on May 9, which is a black date for Azerbaijanis as it is
    connected with the occupation of the town of Shusha in
    Nagorno-Karabakh, considered a cradle of Azerbaijani culture. Thus,
    official Baku has threatened to shoot down any flight over
    Nagorno-Karabakh, legally part of Azerbaijan's territory.

    During a recent visit to the region, international mediators expressed
    their concern over the planned opening of an airport in the breakaway
    region, saying it could fuel further tensions. The co-chairs of the
    OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert
    Bradtke of the U.S., and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation,
    traveled to Yerevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Baku on April 11-14, where
    they met separately with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and
    the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.
    Located ten kilometers from the region's main city - called Khankendi
    by Azerbaijanis and Stepanakert by Armenians - the airport was closed
    down during the most intense fighting in 1991-1992. The reconstruction
    of the airport has taken over a year and has sustained costs of US$
    2.8 million to unspecified "charitable sources", according to Armenian
    media reports. The de facto leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh announced
    the opening of a `civilian' airport in May for the first time in
    twenty years. It was stated that the airline company Air Artsakh
    (Artsakh is Armenian name for Karabakh), established by the region's
    unrecognized authorities, will first launch flights between
    Khankendi/Stepanakert and Yerevan four times a week. Three SRJ-200
    planes have been purchased for US$ 15-16 million to provide 40-minute
    flights for 50 passengers each.

    According to the Armenian side, one building at the Stepanakert
    airport has already been constructed and is currently being equipped
    with navigation and other systems, while asphalting is about to start.

    In March, Azerbaijan's aviation authorities warned that flights from
    and to Karabakh's new airport are not authorized and that the country
    has the right to shoot down any plane that violates its airspace,
    causing international concern. Some regional players, like the U.S.,
    Russia, Turkey, and international organizations have sought to calm
    Azerbaijani authorities. The U.S. and the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
    Group attest that Azerbaijan does not intend to shoot down civilian
    aircrafts, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and
    Eurasia Philip Gordon said to journalists on April 21 in Baku after
    his meeting with Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs. `The U.S.
    previously voiced its clear position on this matter. Threats to
    destroy civilian aircraft are unacceptable', Gordon reportedly said.
    Elkhan Polukhov, a spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, also
    reiterated that Azerbaijan would not use force against civilian
    objects. However, official Baku now underline that they will rely on
    all possible diplomatic means to prevent the operation of the airport.
    Azerbaijan's aviation administration has already made complaints about
    the planned flights to the United Nations-run International Civil
    Aviation Organization (ICAO), which assigns airports the
    identification codes required for flight plans. The ICAO stated that
    only the aviation regulatory body of the member state in which an
    airport is located can issue an identifier code. Nagorno-Karabakh is
    internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. At the same time, in
    an interview to Mediamax news agency, the ICAO representative
    underlined that issues related to the opening of an airport in
    Karabakh and launching of flights have to be settled in bilateral
    negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
    Diplomatic measures taken by Baku have already started to bear fruit.
    On April 14, the co-chairs stated that the operation of flights to and
    from this airport `could not be used to support any claim of a change
    in the current status of Nagorno-Karabakh under international law'.
    The co-chairs urged the sides to reach an understanding in adhering to
    international conventions and agreements, as well as current practice
    between Armenia and Azerbaijan for flights over their territories. The
    co-chairs welcomed assurances from the sides that they will reject any
    threat or attack against civilian aircraft, pursue the matter through
    diplomatic means, and refrain from politicizing the issue. According
    to Trend news agency, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
    Europe (PACE) also approved a document signed by over 20 PACE members
    representing different countries, demanding that the airport's
    construction be stopped since it can increase tensions in the region.

    During their latest meetings in the region, the co-chairs discussed
    the next steps for reaching an agreement on the Basic Principles. `It
    is the strong view of the co-chairs that the time has arrived to
    finalize and endorse the Basic Principles and move to the drafting of
    a peace agreement,' the statement said. The document also mentioned
    that the co-chairs crossed the Line of Contact (LOC) by foot on April
    13 before continuing to Baku. Like their crossing of the LOC in
    September 2010, this was intended to `demonstrate the importance of
    maintaining and strengthening the 1994 ceasefire and that the LOC
    should not become a permanent barrier to contacts among neighboring
    peoples'. The mediators also visited the village of Orta Karvend
    southwest of the city of Terter, where a 10-year-old boy was shot on
    March 8.

    In order to create `a transparent and objective' investigation process
    concerning casualties along the frontline, the mediators presented a
    draft mechanism for investigating incidents with the participation of
    all sides. The co-chairs will travel to Washington in late April for
    consultations with senior U.S. government officials, and to discuss
    the current status of progress towards a peace settlement.

    http://www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/5548




    From: A. Papazian
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