DEFENSE MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: HITTING CIVIL AIRCRAFTS INADMISSIBLE
arminfo
Thursday, January 24, 12:20
"Any civilized country that adopts a law to control its airspace
brings it in line with international conventions. And according
to these conventions it is inadmissible hitting civil aircrafts,"
says Armenian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan
in an interview with RFE/RL Armenia Service when commenting on the
Azerbaijan Cabinet's Jan 18 decision.
To recall, Azerbaijan's Cabinet on Jan 18 issued document on use of
airspace, which allows official Baku to shoot down civilian aircraft
deemed to violate Azeri airspace. The document, the use of which is
obviously intended to thwart plans to open the airport in Stepanakert,
allow the government of Azerbaijan to declare certain areas "banned
zones and limited zones," hence allowing the government to randomly
shoot down aircraft it deems in violation of Azeri airspace."If
the aircraft does not obey orders to land and there is no exact
information about innocent passengers onboard, the legislation permits
the government to shoot down the aircraft," reported APA. Experts
and Mass Media report that the given decision of the Azerbaijan
Government applies first of all to the Stepanakert Airport. In
addition, Azerbaijani sources received the statement by Arif Mammadov,
Head of the State Department of Civil Aviation of Azerbaijan, saying
that yet during construction of the Stepanakert Airport they tried to
take preventive measures and sent a letter to the ICAO. "We informed
that the airspace of Nagorno Karabakh is closed and in line with the
Law On Civil Aviation we plan to hit the planes entering that space
and trying to land on that territory," Mammadov said.
Artsrun Hovhannisyan believes that Azerbaijan has no legal grounds
to prevent flights from Stepanakert, which is also technically
impossible, since the Armed Forces of Armenia are authorized to
ensure security of flights, he said. "The anti-aircraft forces are
authorized to hit aircrafts of the enemy and also provide security
of civil aircrafts. As for the flights to Stepanakert, they are made
also today by helicopters," he said.
Following the Azerbaijani Government's decision NKR President's
Spokesperson David Babayan called the given document as a display of
"state terrorism." He said in a press conference that Stepanakert is
able to provide security of the airspace and the territory. Babayan
is sure that NKR and Armenia must voice this given issue from all
the international tribunes.
arminfo
Thursday, January 24, 12:20
"Any civilized country that adopts a law to control its airspace
brings it in line with international conventions. And according
to these conventions it is inadmissible hitting civil aircrafts,"
says Armenian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan
in an interview with RFE/RL Armenia Service when commenting on the
Azerbaijan Cabinet's Jan 18 decision.
To recall, Azerbaijan's Cabinet on Jan 18 issued document on use of
airspace, which allows official Baku to shoot down civilian aircraft
deemed to violate Azeri airspace. The document, the use of which is
obviously intended to thwart plans to open the airport in Stepanakert,
allow the government of Azerbaijan to declare certain areas "banned
zones and limited zones," hence allowing the government to randomly
shoot down aircraft it deems in violation of Azeri airspace."If
the aircraft does not obey orders to land and there is no exact
information about innocent passengers onboard, the legislation permits
the government to shoot down the aircraft," reported APA. Experts
and Mass Media report that the given decision of the Azerbaijan
Government applies first of all to the Stepanakert Airport. In
addition, Azerbaijani sources received the statement by Arif Mammadov,
Head of the State Department of Civil Aviation of Azerbaijan, saying
that yet during construction of the Stepanakert Airport they tried to
take preventive measures and sent a letter to the ICAO. "We informed
that the airspace of Nagorno Karabakh is closed and in line with the
Law On Civil Aviation we plan to hit the planes entering that space
and trying to land on that territory," Mammadov said.
Artsrun Hovhannisyan believes that Azerbaijan has no legal grounds
to prevent flights from Stepanakert, which is also technically
impossible, since the Armed Forces of Armenia are authorized to
ensure security of flights, he said. "The anti-aircraft forces are
authorized to hit aircrafts of the enemy and also provide security
of civil aircrafts. As for the flights to Stepanakert, they are made
also today by helicopters," he said.
Following the Azerbaijani Government's decision NKR President's
Spokesperson David Babayan called the given document as a display of
"state terrorism." He said in a press conference that Stepanakert is
able to provide security of the airspace and the territory. Babayan
is sure that NKR and Armenia must voice this given issue from all
the international tribunes.