OSCE urges Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sides to avoid tension on holiday eve
By Nazrin Gadimova
OSCE urges the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to strictly observe the ceasefire on the eve of Novruz and Easter holidays.
Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office made a statement after monitoring the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of his mandate on March 17.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly suffered from insidious and provocative activities of Armenia on the eve of holidays. On New Year day, Armenian troops breach ceasefire over 125 times.
"I received information from both sides on recent developments on the border, and listened to their concerns,” Kasprzyk said. “Both sides highlighted the proximity of villages to the front lines, and that civilians have suffered greatly from ceasefire violations as a particular concern.”
He further wished the people of the region all the best on the occasions of the upcoming holidays.
“In light of the upcoming Novruz Bayram and Easter holidays, I call on the sides to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and to avoid any action on the line of contact or on the border that could lead to an increase in tensions,” Kasprzyk concluded.
For more than two decades Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevan’s aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under occupation over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions that it seized in a brutal war in the early 1990s.
Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, Armenia keeps violating armistice with Azerbaijan.
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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova
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