The three Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia held a meeting in Moscow on April 22 to discuss several issues related to the resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. An issue of special concern is the increased tension along the frontline due to intensifying cease-fire violations over recent months.

Observers said that tensions peaked when Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced his intention to be the first passenger on the first flight from Yerevan to a reopened airport in Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, the Armenian side announced that the opening ceremony will be held on May 9, which is a black date for Azerbaijanis as it is connected with the occupation of the town of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh, considered a cradle of Azerbaijani culture. Thus, official Baku has threatened to shoot down any flight over Nagorno-Karabakh, legally part of Azerbaijan’s territory.

During a recent visit to the region, international mediators expressed their concern over the planned opening of an airport in the breakaway region, saying it could fuel further tensions. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the U.S., and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, traveled to Yerevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Baku on April 11-14, where they met separately with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Located ten kilometers from the region’s main city – called Khankendi by Azerbaijanis and Stepanakert by Armenians – the airport was closed down during the most intense fighting in 1991-1992. The reconstruction of the airport has taken over a year and has sustained costs of US$ 2.8 million to unspecified "charitable sources", according to Armenian media reports. The de facto leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh announced the opening of a “civilian” airport in May for the first time in twenty years. It was stated that the airline company Air Artsakh (Artsakh is Armenian name for Karabakh), established by the region’s unrecognized authorities, will first launch flights between Khankendi/Stepanakert and Yerevan four times a week. Three SRJ-200 planes have been purchased for US$ 15-16 million to provide 40-minute flights for 50 passengers each. 

According to the Armenian side, one building at the Stepanakert airport has already been constructed and is currently being equipped with navigation and other systems, while asphalting is about to start.

In March, Azerbaijan’s aviation authorities warned that flights from and to Karabakh’s new airport are not authorized and that the country has the right to shoot down any plane that violates its airspace, causing international concern. Some regional players, like the U.S., Russia, Turkey, and international organizations have sought to calm Azerbaijani authorities. The U.S. and the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group attest that Azerbaijan does not intend to shoot down civilian aircrafts, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Gordon said to journalists on April 21 in Baku after his meeting with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. “The U.S. previously voiced its clear position on this matter. Threats to destroy civilian aircraft are unacceptable”, Gordon reportedly said. Elkhan Polukhov, a spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, also reiterated that Azerbaijan would not use force against civilian objects. However, official Baku now underline that they will rely on all possible diplomatic means to prevent the operation of the airport.

Azerbaijan’s aviation administration has already made complaints about the planned flights to the United Nations-run International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which assigns airports the identification codes required for flight plans. The ICAO stated that only the aviation regulatory body of the member state in which an airport is located can issue an identifier code. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. At the same time, in an interview to Mediamax news agency, the ICAO representative underlined that issues related to the opening of an airport in Karabakh and launching of flights have to be settled in bilateral negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Diplomatic measures taken by Baku have already started to bear fruit. On April 14, the co-chairs stated that the operation of flights to and from this airport “could not be used to support any claim of a change in the current status of Nagorno-Karabakh under international law”. The co-chairs urged the sides to reach an understanding in adhering to international conventions and agreements, as well as current practice between Armenia and Azerbaijan for flights over their territories. The co-chairs welcomed assurances from the sides that they will reject any threat or attack against civilian aircraft, pursue the matter through diplomatic means, and refrain from politicizing the issue. According to Trend news agency, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) also approved a document signed by over 20 PACE members representing different countries, demanding that the airport’s construction be stopped since it can increase tensions in the region.

During their latest meetings in the region, the co-chairs discussed the next steps for reaching an agreement on the Basic Principles. “It is the strong view of the co-chairs that the time has arrived to finalize and endorse the Basic Principles and move to the drafting of a peace agreement,” the statement said. The document also mentioned that the co-chairs crossed the Line of Contact (LOC) by foot on April 13 before continuing to Baku. Like their crossing of the LOC in September 2010, this was intended to “demonstrate the importance of maintaining and strengthening the 1994 ceasefire and that the LOC should not become a permanent barrier to contacts among neighboring peoples”. The mediators also visited the village of Orta Karvend southwest of the city of Terter, where a 10-year-old boy was shot on March 8.

In order to create “a transparent and objective” investigation process concerning casualties along the frontline, the mediators presented a draft mechanism for investigating incidents with the participation of all sides. The co-chairs will travel to Washington in late April for consultations with senior U.S. government officials, and to discuss the current status of progress towards a peace settlement.