OSCE chief urges return to ceasefire on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

PanARMENIAN.Net - OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Edi Rama has urged an immediate return to the ceasefire on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan before we see any further loss of life.

“I am deeply concerned by the increased violence we have seen along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urge an immediate return to the ceasefire before we see any further loss of life,” Rama said.

Rama noted that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, have been in close contact with the sides in an effort to bring stability back to the situation.

A direct channel of communication was established by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders during their meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the Minsk Group co-chairs in March 2019. Rama expressed his hope that such mechanisms can be utilized to de-escalate this situation.

Acknowledging the human toll of the latest violence, Rama offered condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and expressed his concern for the well-being of those injured on both sides. “We must all do what we can to reduce the human impact of the conflict and resume substantive negotiations as soon as possible,” Rama said, stressing his support for the Minsk process.

On July 12, Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions. Since the next morning, the Azerbaijani military has been firing on the Armenian positions, also using large caliber grenade launchers and combat drones to target civilian homes in several border settlements. Four servicemen of the Armenian army have been killed, 20 others have been wounded, while Azerbaijan has reported 11 deaths.