STEPANAKERT. – The statement by the State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan (SCAAA) is nonsense and disrespect towards the international community, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President’s Spokesperson David Babayan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

His comments came after the SCAAA stated that the flights from the Stepanakert city airport heading to Yerevan are illegal and will be considered as violation of air border. The airplanes making flights from Stepanakert will head to Armenia through the air territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, without violating borders of a third state.

“By this statement Azerbaijan recognizes the territorial integrity of Karabakh. However, if Azerbaijan considers the Stepanakert airport as its own territory, it hampers the Karabakh issue settlement and hence, the OSCE Minsk Group work,” Babayan said.

According to the spokesperson, Azerbaijan again shows that the official Baku is an unstable partner by this step. During the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ regional visit on July 10 to 13 Azerbaijan stated that civil airplanes will not be subjected into force, arguable issues will be settled through diplomatic moves and they will avoid politicizing the issue.

To note, Azerbaijan is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization and signed a convention that it will not threaten civil airplanes, even if they enter the air territory without warning.