April 2, 2011 - 13:33 AMT
Expert: ICAO does not interfere in charter and domestic flights

Head of the department of civil aviation (DCA) at the Artsakh government, Dmitry Atbashyan said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulates only international flights, while charter or domestic flights are not under its jurisdiction.

“I stated for many times that aircrafts fly to unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, while Turkey, Cyprus and Greece do not have any problems with it – they are charter flights. As for the UN, it has nothing to do with this. Azerbaijan forgets that there are UN and ICAO Charters. Besides, one should not forget that all statements of Baku with respect to Stepanakert airport are made solely for the internal circulation,” Atbashyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Chief of DCA Staff Tigran Gabrielyan said for his part that NKR hosts a roundtable on the problem of Cyprus.

“It has brought together Cypriotes, Greeks and Turks. Representatives of the two communities of Cyprus noted that there have never been any problems related to flights to/from Northern Cyprus. Baku tries to violate the human right to freedom of movement,” said Gabrielyan.

UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Fikret Akcura stated that the decision on opening a new corridor for flights between Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh is illegal without permission of the International Civil Aviation Organization.