The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America will travel to the region in the coming weeks to discuss with the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia next steps aimed at reaching a peaceful resolution of the conflict, U.S. Mission to the OSCE says.
The Co-Chairs and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk met on March 2 with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, and on March 3 with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, and discussed Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the report says.
“The Co-Chairs repeated their concerns regarding the issue of civilian flights to Nagorno-Karabakh and the recent violence on the Line of Contact. They also discussed ideas to strengthen the ceasefire,” the report says.
Earlier, Armenian media reported on the intended commissioning of the airport in Khojaly in the near future.
The commissioning of the airport is an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (adopted on December 7, 1944 in Chicago), the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported earlier.
Azerbaijan will strengthen the legal use of the application of the Chicago convention.
Azerbaijan banned the use of its airspace over Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee safe flights in the area, the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration said earlier.
According to Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Armenia’s steps towards the operation of the airport are attempts to violate international aviation law.
This air space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is illegal.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.