AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH BLASTS SEPARATIST REGIME'S STATEMENT
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 16 2013
By Sara Rajabova
The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
has harshly responded to a statement by the "prime-minister" of the
so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" Ara Harutyunyan about the
Khojaly airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"If Harutyunyan supports resolving the issue within the framework of
human rights, then, first of all, he should raise the issue of
restoration of the rights of the Azerbaijani population expelled from
Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, and their return to the native
lands," chairman of the coordinating council of the Azerbaijani
Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Public Union Orkhan Akbarov told
journalists. "If it is a question of human rights, why are the rights
of Azerbaijanis from Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions not
protected?"
During a press conference held earlier, the "prime minister" of the
so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" Harutyunyan said that the issue
of commissioning the Khojaly airport should be resolved not in the
political arena, but within human rights.
"No international entity recognizes the so-called 'Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic', established as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani
lands by Armenia, while the international community recognizes the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," Akbarov said.
According to him, Harutyunyan and others like him who support the
separatist regime should be punished under international law for the
expulsion of the Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh from their
homes, the ethnic cleansing perpetrated in the region, the Khojaly
genocide and other crimes.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy
war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20
percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory,
including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security
Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the
Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.
A precarious cease-fire was signed in 1994. However, units of the
Armenian armed forces commit armistice breaches on the frontline
almost every day.
Armenian media frequently reports that the airport in Khojaly is to be
commissioned in the near future.
Recently, Chief of the General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA) of
Armenia Artyom Movsisyan said that this body will allow civil aircraft
to fly to the occupied territory of Azerbaijan.
According to Movsisyan, flights will be carried out on board 19-seat
Armenian planes. He declined to disclose dates.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that commissioning of
the airport is an open violation of the Convention on International
Civil Aviation adopted on December 7, 1944 in Chicago.
Besides, Azerbaijan's Civil Aviation Administration recently condemned
Armenia over the statement on the opening of flights from Yerevan to
Khankendi and vice versa, saying these actions are not in line with
international law.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of airspace of its Armenian-occupied
territory Nagorno-Karabakh, as no one can guarantee the safety of the
area.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Civil
Aviation Conference support Azerbaijan's position on the issue.
Document No.121 on airports of the ICAO cited the Khojaly airport as
property of Azerbaijan.
International flights from the Khojaly airport, constructed in 1978,
were prohibited after the occupation of territories by Armenia. The
Khojaly airport, which has been registered in international
organizations with the name UB13, is a facility with military
purposes.
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 16 2013
By Sara Rajabova
The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
has harshly responded to a statement by the "prime-minister" of the
so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" Ara Harutyunyan about the
Khojaly airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"If Harutyunyan supports resolving the issue within the framework of
human rights, then, first of all, he should raise the issue of
restoration of the rights of the Azerbaijani population expelled from
Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, and their return to the native
lands," chairman of the coordinating council of the Azerbaijani
Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Public Union Orkhan Akbarov told
journalists. "If it is a question of human rights, why are the rights
of Azerbaijanis from Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions not
protected?"
During a press conference held earlier, the "prime minister" of the
so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" Harutyunyan said that the issue
of commissioning the Khojaly airport should be resolved not in the
political arena, but within human rights.
"No international entity recognizes the so-called 'Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic', established as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani
lands by Armenia, while the international community recognizes the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," Akbarov said.
According to him, Harutyunyan and others like him who support the
separatist regime should be punished under international law for the
expulsion of the Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh from their
homes, the ethnic cleansing perpetrated in the region, the Khojaly
genocide and other crimes.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy
war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20
percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory,
including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security
Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the
Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.
A precarious cease-fire was signed in 1994. However, units of the
Armenian armed forces commit armistice breaches on the frontline
almost every day.
Armenian media frequently reports that the airport in Khojaly is to be
commissioned in the near future.
Recently, Chief of the General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA) of
Armenia Artyom Movsisyan said that this body will allow civil aircraft
to fly to the occupied territory of Azerbaijan.
According to Movsisyan, flights will be carried out on board 19-seat
Armenian planes. He declined to disclose dates.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that commissioning of
the airport is an open violation of the Convention on International
Civil Aviation adopted on December 7, 1944 in Chicago.
Besides, Azerbaijan's Civil Aviation Administration recently condemned
Armenia over the statement on the opening of flights from Yerevan to
Khankendi and vice versa, saying these actions are not in line with
international law.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of airspace of its Armenian-occupied
territory Nagorno-Karabakh, as no one can guarantee the safety of the
area.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Civil
Aviation Conference support Azerbaijan's position on the issue.
Document No.121 on airports of the ICAO cited the Khojaly airport as
property of Azerbaijan.
International flights from the Khojaly airport, constructed in 1978,
were prohibited after the occupation of territories by Armenia. The
Khojaly airport, which has been registered in international
organizations with the name UB13, is a facility with military
purposes.