Azernews.Az

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev expressed "serious concern" Tuesday over the fatal shooting that took place during the night of June 18-19 on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict zone.
Saudabayev called for measures to prevent similar incidents in future.
"There is no sensible alternative to the continuation of negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Garabagh conflict," the OSCE chairman said. "Effective measures should be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future."
Saudabayev also said he "lends unconditional support" for the efforts undertaken within the Minsk Group framework, referring to the OSCE-brokered peace talks, "to channel the negotiations into constructive dialogue."
"I have entrusted my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, to work closely with the Minsk Group co-chairs to seek ways to peacefully resolve the protracted conflict," said the statement, posted on the OSCE website.
According to reports by the Defense Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the armed incident that took place in the northern part of the line of contact resulted in casualties on both sides.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been largely fruitless so far. Sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.*