OSCE calls parties of Karabakh conflict to observe ceasefire

On February 18 and 19, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Pierre Andrieu (France) and James Warlick (USA), accompanied by Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal representative of the Chairman of the OSCE, visited the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). They arrived in the republic within the framework of their February 16-19 regional visit, during which they also visited Baku and Yerevan.

At the meeting with Bako Sahakyan, the President of the NKR, they discussed the situation in the conflict zone and the course of the settlement thereof. The OSCE officials expressed their concern about the situation on the frontline. Their talks with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were on the same topic.

The main goal of the visit was to encourage the parties to respect the ceasefire after "a dangerous increase in violence" noted in January, says the statement of the Minsk Group. A message of the press service of the OSCE states that debaters reiterated their commitment to a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The parties in conflict continue to regularly accusing each other of breaking the ceasefire. According to calculations of the "Caucasian Knot", since the start of the year, at least 16 people were killed in the conflict zone.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.