OSCE Office expansion to lead to more monitoring exercises: envoyMay 30, 2016 - 12:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk said Sunday, May 29 that the expansion of his Office will not change his existing mandate, but will instead increase the number of field assistants, APA cited him as saying. "My Office will thus be able to increase the number of monitoring exercises [in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone], at the same time maintaining more regular contacts with authorities of both sides," he said. The ambassador added that this will allow the OSCE Chairmanship and the Co-chairs to receive more comprehensive information about the situation and provide a more quick and flexible response to requests for support under his current mandate, also reducing the risk of escalation. The work on expanding the Office is well advanced, the ambassador said. Kasprzyk reminded that the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan at a Vienna-hosted summit on May 16 agreed to finalize an OSCE investigative mechanism, expand the Personal Representative’s Office, continue the exchange of data on missing persons. "To this end, I was asked by the Chairperson-in-Office to prepare a concept for the expansion of my Office, with the support of the OSCE Secretariat," Kasprzyk said. "The work is well advanced and I hope to present the final outcome, including an updated budget, in the coming days for OSCE approval in Vienna." Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. |