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21 October 2012 / LAMIYA ADILGIZI, İSTANBUL
Armenias attempts to reopen the international airport located in Nagorno-Karabakh -- Azerbaijani territory that is currently controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with the support of the Republic of Armenia -- will deal a large blow to peace efforts to solve the conflict with Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stated earlier this week in Baku.
If the airport is opened, it will harm the peace settlement of the conflict, Davutoğlu said in a press conference in Baku on Monday.
In Azerbaijan to take part in the 12th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Baku on Tuesday together with leaders from 10 member states, including the Central Asian republics, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, Davutoğlu said in a statement to reporters that Turkey remains on the side of Azerbaijan on the issue of the airport as it has always supported its regional ally in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region of Azerbaijan largely populated by ethnic Armenians which became a subject of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two neighbor countries in the South Caucasus. The region, together with seven Azeri-populated adjacent territories, was occupied by Armenian forces under the command of Serzh Sarksyan, now the president of Armenia, in a bloody six-year war (1988-1994), leaving 30,000 dead and nearly a million displaced.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan after the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan in 1992, including Nagorno-Karabakh.
Praising Turkeys reiterated stance in Baku, Güner Özkan, a Eurasia expert from the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Center (USAK), said Turkey would never welcome such a situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as it is totally against international law.
No country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state in an international arena. The area is under occupation, Özkan said, proposing to compare it with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which is economically isolated and cannot receive international flights.
Are there any international flights to the KKTC? No. Due to the embargo. If the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh is opened to international flights and the airplanes of foreign countries land in that airport, that will be a double standard displayed by the international community, Özkan said, asking: What if France, the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)] Minsk Group co-chair, uses this airport for its flights? What answer will the Minsk Group give [to Azerbaijan] then?
Since the war of the early 90s that resulted in Azerbaijani territories Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories being captured and the eviction of all ethnic Azeris out of their homelands, negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been ongoing under the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992. The conflict, however, remains at a stalemate, as there has been no progress in negotiations.
Calling Armenias attempts at reopening the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh unethical, Davutoğlu said the primary goal is finding a solution. He added that each side should intensify its efforts towards finding a solution.
Efgan Niftiyev, a political analyst at the İstanbul-based Caspian Strategic Institute, said in an interview with Sundays Zaman that talking about any peace negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is beside the point, as the peace process is stalled and there has been no progress for a long time.
The opening of Khankendi Airport will add just negativity to the already stagnant peace process, Niftiyev said, stressing that no momentum is expected anytime soon.
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh -- which declared its independence after being occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces in the early 90s, despite not being recognized by the international community -- planned to start flights from Armenias capital Yerevan to Khankendi (Armenians call the town Stepanakert) after it was announced that the reconstruction of the airport would be finalized this year. No flights have materialized yet, as Azerbaijan officially stated that it would shoot down aircraft over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the legitimate territory of Azerbaijan, which is recognized by the international community.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue. However, Niftiyev noted that Turkey is one of the key players in the region and could play a valuable role in establishing peace and stability in the region. Turkey makes a very significant contribution to the economic development of the region, which is actually a key factor that will determine the fate of the conflict in the region, he said.
During his speech, Davutoğlu also noted that Turkey is ready to exert any effort to establish and maintain peace and stability in the South Caucasus.
In order to establish peace, everyone should respect the border integrity of the countries. Turkey takes a principled stance on the issue of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and favors the solution of the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict within the framework of territorial integrity. However, unfortunately, the problem has not been solved for 20 years now. Turkey will make every effort to solve this problem, Davutoğlu said.
Armenias attempts to reopen the international airport located in Nagorno-Karabakh -- Azerbaijani territory that is currently controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with the support of the Republic of Armenia -- will deal a large blow to peace efforts to solve the conflict with Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stated earlier this week in Baku.
If the airport is opened, it will harm the peace settlement of the conflict, Davutoğlu said in a press conference in Baku on Monday.
In Azerbaijan to take part in the 12th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Baku on Tuesday together with leaders from 10 member states, including the Central Asian republics, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, Davutoğlu said in a statement to reporters that Turkey remains on the side of Azerbaijan on the issue of the airport as it has always supported its regional ally in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region of Azerbaijan largely populated by ethnic Armenians which became a subject of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two neighbor countries in the South Caucasus. The region, together with seven Azeri-populated adjacent territories, was occupied by Armenian forces under the command of Serzh Sarksyan, now the president of Armenia, in a bloody six-year war (1988-1994), leaving 30,000 dead and nearly a million displaced.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan after the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan in 1992, including Nagorno-Karabakh.
Praising Turkeys reiterated stance in Baku, Güner Özkan, a Eurasia expert from the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Center (USAK), said Turkey would never welcome such a situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as it is totally against international law.
No country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state in an international arena. The area is under occupation, Özkan said, proposing to compare it with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which is economically isolated and cannot receive international flights.
Are there any international flights to the KKTC? No. Due to the embargo. If the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh is opened to international flights and the airplanes of foreign countries land in that airport, that will be a double standard displayed by the international community, Özkan said, asking: What if France, the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)] Minsk Group co-chair, uses this airport for its flights? What answer will the Minsk Group give [to Azerbaijan] then?
Since the war of the early 90s that resulted in Azerbaijani territories Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories being captured and the eviction of all ethnic Azeris out of their homelands, negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been ongoing under the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992. The conflict, however, remains at a stalemate, as there has been no progress in negotiations.
Calling Armenias attempts at reopening the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh unethical, Davutoğlu said the primary goal is finding a solution. He added that each side should intensify its efforts towards finding a solution.
Efgan Niftiyev, a political analyst at the İstanbul-based Caspian Strategic Institute, said in an interview with Sundays Zaman that talking about any peace negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is beside the point, as the peace process is stalled and there has been no progress for a long time.
The opening of Khankendi Airport will add just negativity to the already stagnant peace process, Niftiyev said, stressing that no momentum is expected anytime soon.
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh -- which declared its independence after being occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces in the early 90s, despite not being recognized by the international community -- planned to start flights from Armenias capital Yerevan to Khankendi (Armenians call the town Stepanakert) after it was announced that the reconstruction of the airport would be finalized this year. No flights have materialized yet, as Azerbaijan officially stated that it would shoot down aircraft over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the legitimate territory of Azerbaijan, which is recognized by the international community.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue. However, Niftiyev noted that Turkey is one of the key players in the region and could play a valuable role in establishing peace and stability in the region. Turkey makes a very significant contribution to the economic development of the region, which is actually a key factor that will determine the fate of the conflict in the region, he said.
During his speech, Davutoğlu also noted that Turkey is ready to exert any effort to establish and maintain peace and stability in the South Caucasus.
In order to establish peace, everyone should respect the border integrity of the countries. Turkey takes a principled stance on the issue of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and favors the solution of the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict within the framework of territorial integrity. However, unfortunately, the problem has not been solved for 20 years now. Turkey will make every effort to solve this problem, Davutoğlu said.
