Andrzej Kasprzyk reappointed as Personal Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
By Rashid Shirinov
The 2018 Italian OSCE Chairmanship has extended mandate of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the OSCE told Trend on January 12.
Since 1997, Kasprzyk has been serving as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference – Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The decision on his reappointment was made at the last meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.
In accordance with the mandate, Kasprzyk represents the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He contributes to the efforts of the chairperson to achieve a long-term peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Kasprzyk also participates in the OSCE monitoring missions that are regularly held in the conflict zone, and takes part at the meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, including their meetings with Azerbaijani and Armenian officials.
Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in a conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day. Meanwhile, the OSCE Minsk Group, created in 1990s to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, is still working on the issue. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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