Thu 19 November 2009 | 08:01 GMT Text size:

Araz Azimov

Azerbaijan's deputy foreign minister, Araz Azimov, has denied that NATO countries have difficulty getting permission to overfly Azerbaijan.

“NATO countries apply to Azerbaijan for permission and face no problems in getting it,” Azimov told reporters on Thursday.

It was reported on Wednesday that Germany would not extend its mission to Afghanistan involving AWACS radar-equipped surveillance aircraft, as permission to fly had not been received from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

“Negotiations are currently under way with Azerbaijan which has not yet given a negative response," the deputy foreign minister said. "The thing is that this issue depends not only on Azerbaijan but on all the countries on the air route to Afghanistan, from Turkey to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. It is groundless to blame Azerbaijan for NATO’s failure to reach agreement with any other country.”

Novosti Azerbaijan