OCSE once again undetermined over ceasefire violations culpritOctober 29, 2015 - 16:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs (Igor Popov of Russia, James Warlick of the United States, and Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the South Caucasus October 26-28. The mediators issued a statement at the end of the mission, during which they met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the authorities of Nagorno Karabakh. According to the Co-chairs, the Presidents confirmed their commitment to hold a summit by the end of the year to discuss key elements of the conflict settlement and other issues. “At the meetings with the Presidents, we stressed the dangers of escalating violence along the line of contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The use of heavy weapons, such as mortars and rocket launchers, is unacceptable and threatens the civilian population. We deeply regret the casualties among innocent civilians and expect the sides to take every step to avoid violence,” the mediators said. The Co-chairs met with representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh. “We encourage dialogue among all those affected by the conflict as an essential part of the peace process, and support programs that bring Armenians and Azerbaijanis together. We also met with the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yerevan to discuss the implementation of data exchange program on missing persons, a humanitarian measure we fully support,” they noted. Immediately after a routine crossing of the line of contact by the Co-chairs, “repeated gunfire from an undetermined location” forced OSCE monitors to take cover. This incident, according to the Co-chairs, aims to deliberately undermine the progress in settlement talks, highlighting the need for the OSCE to investigate violations of the ceasefire. The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |