Tensions rise between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh airport

Tension has risen between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the impending opening of an airport in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which ended with a ceasefire in 1994. Ownership over seven areas are still disputed between the two sides, but the most heated is Norgorno-Karabakh, which declared itself independent in 1991.

Nagorno-Karabakh has a primarily Armenian population and has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since 1991, despite lying within Azerbaijani territory.

The enclave largely runs its own affairs, although it gets economic and military support from Armenia. Due to open in May, the airport plans to have regular flights between Armenia and Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Plans to reopen the airport, which was severely damanged during the war in the early 1990s, have angered Baku, and it said that it would shoot down any civilian planes that fly there.

Earlier this year, Azerbaijan told the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that it had not authorised flights over its breakaway region.

Head of the Azeri Civil Aviation Administration Arif Mammadov said in a statement earlier this month, "Azerbaijan has the right to shoot down plans landing in this airport which is on occupied territory."

On 31st March, Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan hit back. "It is terrorist organizations that have always aired such threats, but not states. Making such statements at the state level is marasmus, statements of sick people."

"I can announce that I, the president of the Republic of Armenia, will be the first passenger on the flight," he said.

Chief of the Civil Aviation of Karabakh, Valery Adbashyan noted that Azerbaijan had signed the ICAO Convention, under which it pledged not to attack civilian jets and said that the ICAO should strip Azerbaijan of its membership in the ICAO.

The international community has also reacted to the statement. US Ambassadors to Armenia and Azerbaijan Marie Jovanovich and Matthew Bryza spoke about the inadmissibility of such statements, according to Armenia Now.

Azerbaijan appears to have backed down from its original stance. On 1st April, the official representative of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Elhan Polukhov said "Azerbaijan has never used, nor will use force against civilian objects."

There is, however, considerable anger within Azerbaijan that the flights will go ahead. Foreign Ministry representative Novruz Mammadov told Azerbaijani media that Sargsyan's comments were deliberately provocative.

"It is regretful that international organizations and the countries, give no reaction to such a blatant conduct of the Armenian side. Nagorno-Karabakh is a native land of Azerbaijan, which has been under Armenian occupation for more than 20 years."

"It turns out that despite everything Armenia continues its occupational policy before the eyes of the world community," he was quoted in Today.Az as saying.

The airport is due to open on 9th May.

Sources: Today.Az, News.Am, Alert Net, Armenia Now

For more information, please see the Menas Borders website, here.

Turkey, Azerbaijan propose staged resolution to Karabakh dispute, but Armenia isn't interested

Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov

Turkey and Azerbaijan have proposed a multi-stage plan for the settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but Armenia isn't impressed.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which ended with a ceasefire in 1994. The Armenian-majority area, located within Azerbaijan territory, has been occupied by Armenian armed forces ever since.

While internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory, the enclave has declared itself an independent republic, but is administered as a de facto part of Armenia. Since 1994, negotiations have been held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by France, Russia and the US.

Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov discussed the plan during a trip to Ankara last week, and gave details to Turkey's Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review newspaper. His visit preceded an expected trip this week by Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Moscow.

According to Hürriyet, the plan is based on trying to bring normality to Armenia in its relationship with Turkey and Azerbaijan. The Baku-Ankara plan involves a staged withdrawl process. Under the plan, Armenia would start by removing troops from five of the eight disputed territories: Akdam, Fuzuli, Cebrail, Zengilan and Kubatli. At this stage the Armenia-Azerbaijan border would open. The border between Armenia and Turkey, which has been closed since 1993, would also likely open at this stage.

"Relations [between Azerbaijan and Armenia] should be normalized, international forces should come in, guarantees should be given and rehabilitation should start," Azimov said.

This stage would last five years, after which Armenia would withdraw from the remaining regions of Lachine, Kelbecer and Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenia population of Karabakh would be provided with security guarantees and preparations for the return of Azerbaijanis to Nagorno-Karabakh would start.

This would pave the way for economic cooperation, although Azimov admits the determining a timeline will be difficult.

Armenia has not reacted favourably to the plan, however. A spokeman for the Armenia Foreign Minister, Tigran Balayan, commented on Azimov's interview with Hürriyet by saying, "Turkey has nothing to do in the Karabakh conflict resolution. If Turkey wishes not to damage the peace process, it should not interfere in the Karabakh conflict settlement."

"Mr. Azimov's scenario for the Karabakh conflict resolution is a figment of his imagination," Balayan emphasized to Armenia's News.am.

Meanwhile, further disputes on the ground are complicating the negotiating process. An Azerbaijani boy was shot and killed on 8th March by Armenian sniper fire. Fariz Badalov was playing outside his house in the village of Orta Garvand, close to the contact line separating Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

Soon after the incident, the Minsk Group co-chairs announced their intention to visit the region. They condemned the loss of life and urged all sides to exercise restraint and fulfil their obligations undertaken in Sochi earlier this month to seek to resolve all contentious issues peacefully, according a press release from the OSCE.

OSCE representatives have, this week, visited Azerbaijan. The OSCE chairman-in-office, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis held talks with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Monday 14th March.

Robert Bradtke of the US, Bernard Fassier of France and Igor Popov of Russia met Mammadyarov on Tuesday 15th March, according to Azerbaijani media sources. They discussed the current state of negotiations to resolve the Karabakh conflict. It is not clear whether they discussed the Ankara-Baku planned mooted by Azimov.

Sources: Hürriyet, OSCE, News.am, News.az

For more information, please see the Menas Borders website, here.