Cypriot government hopes Azerbaijan will change decision on direct flights

Cyprus News Agency
1 Aug 05

Nicosia, 1 August: The Cyprus government is looking into the spectrum
of its relations with Azerbaijan, hoping that it will review its
decision for direct flights to the occupied areas and will respect
international law and the sovereignty of the Cyprus government, Cyprus
Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Sotirios Zakhaios has told CNA.

Invited to comment on the illegal landing of an Azerbaijani aircraft
at the airport in Turkish occupied Tymbou, Zackheos noted that
Cyprus President Tasos Papadhopoulos and the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs and Communications and Works Yeoryios Iakovou and Kharis
Thrasou respectively, have sent letters of representation to their
Azerbaijani counterparts.|

The Cyprus government has also informed the International Organization
of Civil Aviation and Eurocontrol on the issue and these organizations
and countries, which are friendly to Cyprus, have made representations
to Baku.

“The Cyprus government is also looking into Baku’s relations with the
EU and has already stated and decided that the EU’s action plan with
Azerbaijan cannot proceed until this country respects international
law,” he added.

Eurocontrol has also postponed a scheduled meeting of regional
cooperation that was due to take place in Ukraine with the
participation of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine because of the
illegal flights to the pseudostate.

Cyprus has also expressed its disagreement with Azerbaijan’s intention
to become member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Asked how the issue of the political conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over the Nagorno [Upper] Karabah region is associated,
Zackheos said “the Cyprus government is examining the whole spectrum
of its relations with Azerbaijan, hoping that this country will review
its decision on the direct flights and will respect international
law and the sovereignty of the Cyprus Republic.”

“The Cyprus government wants the development of relations (with
Baku). The Republic of Cyprus depends its policy on the development of
bilateral relations with all countries on the basis of the respect of
international law and the principles of the UN Charter. At the same
time, the principle of mutuality is taken into consideration at the
countries’ interstate relations,” he concluded.