Baku Threatens Stepanakert Again
Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov
BAKU, STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources) – Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov on Thursday once again warned Stepanakert against the
planned opening of it airport, reported the APA news agency.
`If airport is commissioned and flights are operated in Nagorno
Karabagh it will be detrimental to the peace process,’ Mammadyarov
told the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Philippe
Lefort who is visiting Baku.
Meanwhile in Stepanakert, the Head of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic) Civil Aviation Department Dmitry Atabashian told Armenpress
that the opening of the Stepanakert Airport is imminent and is
awaiting technical advancement.
Atabashian also added that a number of airline have expressed interest
in flying to Stepanakert.
The civil aviation leader said that while the airport will be mainly
used for flights to Armenia, other international destinations are
being explored.
`As you know, the airport is already being utilized, but flights will
launch after we acquire more equipment. Presently we do not possess an
anti-icing system to keep the tarmac and runways clear of ice,’
explained Atabashian who added that agreements to purchase the needed
equipment have already been signed.