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TURKEY SEARCHES ARMENIAN PLANE EN ROUTE TO SYRIA
Today's Zaman
Nov 8 2012
Turkey
Turkey intercepted an Armenian airplane en route to Syria and searched
its cargo on Thursday in another effort to prevent the use of Turkish
airspace to supply the Syrian military.
Officials from the Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM) in
Erzurum allowed the plane to depart after a search that lasted about
four hours. The technical team that inspected the aircraft confirmed
that the plane carried nothing but basic foodstuffs and seized none
of the Air Armenia plane's cargo.
Also, Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım has confirmed that
the Armenian airplane have been ordered to land as part of a routine
inspection, saying that the aim in such procedure is to prevent any
arms delivery to war-torn Syria that would claim more Syrian lives.
Turkish diplomatic sources speaking to Today's Zaman noted that
the plane was stopped in accordance with procedures defined in the
1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the
Chicago Convention.
Diplomatic sources added that before the flight Air Armenia had asked
Turkish authorities for permission to carry 15 tons of humanitarian
aid from Yerevan to Aleppo using Turkish airspace.
According to some Turkish reports, the Turkish technical team
inspecting the airplane included biologists to determine if the plane
carried anything that could be used to make biological weapons.
Diplomatic sources have not confirmed these claims.
Ankara has stepped up efforts to prevent its airspace from being used
to supply the Syrian military. Another Armenian plane flying to the
Syrian city of Aleppo was grounded and searched in mid-October, as
well as a Syrian airliner traveling from Moscow that was suspected
of carrying Russian munitions destined for Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's military. In both cases, the planes were allowed to continue
on their way to Syria after being inspected.
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman
Nov 8 2012
Turkey
Turkey intercepted an Armenian airplane en route to Syria and searched
its cargo on Thursday in another effort to prevent the use of Turkish
airspace to supply the Syrian military.
Officials from the Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM) in
Erzurum allowed the plane to depart after a search that lasted about
four hours. The technical team that inspected the aircraft confirmed
that the plane carried nothing but basic foodstuffs and seized none
of the Air Armenia plane's cargo.
Also, Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım has confirmed that
the Armenian airplane have been ordered to land as part of a routine
inspection, saying that the aim in such procedure is to prevent any
arms delivery to war-torn Syria that would claim more Syrian lives.
Turkish diplomatic sources speaking to Today's Zaman noted that
the plane was stopped in accordance with procedures defined in the
1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the
Chicago Convention.
Diplomatic sources added that before the flight Air Armenia had asked
Turkish authorities for permission to carry 15 tons of humanitarian
aid from Yerevan to Aleppo using Turkish airspace.
According to some Turkish reports, the Turkish technical team
inspecting the airplane included biologists to determine if the plane
carried anything that could be used to make biological weapons.
Diplomatic sources have not confirmed these claims.
Ankara has stepped up efforts to prevent its airspace from being used
to supply the Syrian military. Another Armenian plane flying to the
Syrian city of Aleppo was grounded and searched in mid-October, as
well as a Syrian airliner traveling from Moscow that was suspected
of carrying Russian munitions destined for Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's military. In both cases, the planes were allowed to continue
on their way to Syria after being inspected.
From: Baghdasarian