Stepanakert airport operation fixes Artsakh’s independence, Armenian MP says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Secretary of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group Artyusha Shahbazyan said that the most recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group was basically addressed to Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan raised a clamor around operation of the Stepanakert airport, since actually it once again fixes Artsakh’s independence. Currently, Azerbaijan has put itself in such a position, when its threats are both illogic and ridiculous,” Shahbazyan told a briefing in the Armenian parliament.

According to him, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signs one thing, but acts another way upon his return to Azerbaijan. Shahbazyan expressed belief that Azerbaijan will finally be forced to take on real provocations to justify itself before the own nation.

In its most recent statement, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen said “it is the strong view of the Co-Chairs that the time has arrived to finalize and endorse the Basic Principles and move to the drafting of a peace agreement.”

“On April 13, the Co-Chairs crossed the Line of Contact (LOC) by foot, before continuing to Baku. As with their crossing of the LOC in September 2010, this was intended to demonstrate the importance of maintaining and strengthening the 1994 ceasefire and that the LOC should not become a permanent barrier to contacts among neighboring peoples, as well as to reaffirm the Co-Chairs' need to visit any areas affected by the conflict. In conjunction with the crossing of the LOC, the Co-Chairs also visited part of the region southwest of the city of Terter. In addition, the Co-Chairs visited the village of Orta Karvend, accompanying the PRCiO in monitoring the area where the reported March 8 incident occurred.

Building on the March 5 joint statement made in Sochi by the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Russian Federation, the Co-Chairs also presented to the sides a draft mechanism for investigation of incidents along the front lines with the participation of all sides. The Co-Chairs will continue to work with the parties to create as soon as possible a transparent and objective investigation process, with the goal of enhancing confidence, decreasing the risk of miscalculation, and saving lives,” reads the statement.