STEPANAKERT (Tert.am)—The airport in Nagorno-Karabakh’s (Artsakh) capital, Stepanakert, could be used for the Russian defense forces’ anti-terrorism operations against the Islamic State, President Bako Sahakyan said today in Moscow.

“Artsakh is ready to join the fight against international terrorism,” Bako Sahakyan told a news conference devoted to the “Artsakh Days” conference taking place in Russia, Regnum news agency reports.

Referring to the Artsakh War, he said his country’s leadership is willing to discuss future plans with the Russian side.

“When the Stepanakert airport is handed over for operation, Nagorno-Karabakh will be ready to discuss the use of that infrastructure with Russia,” the president said.

He added that the airport will be equipped with modern supplies to meet the standards of modern aviation.

“The airport is designed to serve humanitarian purposes only,” he said, promising that its services will not fall behind those of other international airports, including Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport and the Sheremetyevo International Airport of Moscow.

Armenpress reports that Sahakyan told Regnum news that Artsakh would never be a part of Azerbaijan.

“A number of European and American cities and provinces, including Los Angeles, as well as Australian New South Wales province have already recognized the right of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. As to the recognition by countries, [that] is a matter of time and hard work,” Sahakyan mentioned.

According to President Sahakyan, the foreign policy of Nagorno-Karabakh is shaped by multi-pronged and complementary principles.

“We aspire to stable and close relations with all those countries where we have diaspora representatives,” Sahakyan stated.

Referring to the situation on the border, Sahakyan emphasized that in contrast to Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh does its best to de-escalate the situation and foster the efforts of international mediators.