Azerbaijan does not accept the persuasions of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Khojaly airport

Armenia's attempts to unilaterally begin operation of the  airport in Khojaly in Nagorno-Karabakh will be regarded as a violation of air space of Azerbaijan, reads the declaration of the State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan in connection with the statements of the Armenian side  on readiness to begin flights to Yerevan from Khankendi and back.

    Without the permission of the Azerbaijani side, no foreign airline can  fly over the territory of Azerbaijan. If such a flight takes place,  it will be regarded as a violation of borders and  relevant measures will be taken, reported the State Administration of Civil Aviation of Azerbaijan.

     Last week co-chairs issued a statement that the operation of the airport does not affect the status of Karabakh, and  called on the parties to refrain from violence. However, by today's statement Baku has made it clear that the call  of the co-chairs  is not appropriate, and a violation of air borders will be stopped. 

    Military experts, commenting on possible  scenarios, noted that civil flights from Armenia to Karabakh  will inevitably go through Lachin and Kalbajar (Azerbaijani  regions outside Karabakh.) Further, the aircraft will have to make a circle above Askeran, and will inevitably fly over the Aghdam region (another occupied area outside Karabakh.) That is,  there is enough legal grounds for preventing the flight.

    With regard to military means, Azerbaijan has more than enough air defense systems to destroy or  to prevent flight of these planes. This is true to the air-land missiles of the various classes and modifications, as well as electronic interference that can incapacitate or seriously disrupt the electronic communications of the  aircraft. Thus, the flights can be extremely dangerous to the inside, even if it is Serzh Sarkisian, who had promised to fly the first flight. -02В-