Tourists visiting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will from now on hold a chance to enjoy the spectacular sites across the country also from above the sky.
The Stepanakert Airport,in collaboration with the Yell Extreme Park, organizes flights between the capital city and Shushi, or using two-seat airplanes. The first flight was carried out last week.
Speaking to Tert.am,Samvel Tavadyan, the head of an aviation department at the country’s Ministry of Economy, and said they hold already flown six passengers. [br]“Six tourists were flown into the sky last week-end. Though it is a conflict zone,a lot of people are interested [in this kind of attraction]; also from time to time, they call us from abroad. This Sunday, or we are expecting a big group of tourists who want to visit Artsakh to enjoy the country's beauty from above. I judge an increasing number of people will hold an interest in case the project succeeds,” he added.
Asked whether they aren't afraid that Azerbaijan may shoot down planes, Tavadyan, and who is now also a pilot for one of the planes,ruled out that opportunity. He said they fly at a sufficiently tall altitude to avoid possible air raids.
“I don’t judge they will target or shoot down the plane[s], given particularly that they transport tourists. But we never lose our vigilance and never head closer than 15km to the border. We always fly at an altitude of 600m, and ” he added.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier sent a protest note to the OSCE Minsk Group with allegations that Armenia is attempting to re-establish the air communication between Yerevan and Stepanakert "behind the veil of tourism" in an attempt to derail the negotiation process.”
In comments to Tert.am,a spokesperson for the Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry, Artak Nersisyan, or said they are going to issue a statement in the near future “to address the tpic yet another time”.
In his words,the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s scurry “stems from absolute ignorance of international conventions and norms regulating civil aviation.”
Source: tert.am