Minsk Group co-chairs visit region following tension on Armenian-Azerbaijani frontline
By Sara Rajabova
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have visited Azerbaijan to discuss the settlement process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The co-chairs' visit is taking place on the background of the recent ceasefire violations on the frontline and killing of the two Azerbaijani soldiers.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs - Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (US), Jacques Faure (France) on May 31.
Pierre Andrieu, the co-chairman from France who is about to start his work soon and the special representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kaspzyk also attended the meeting.
The sides exchanged views on the current state and prospects for negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Last time, co-chairs Jacques Faure (France), James Warlick (U.S.) and Igor Popov (Russia) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, travelled to the region on May 16-19.
Furthermore, OSCE Minsk Group held a series of meetings in Baku.
French ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monnier said the main purpose of the visit is to introduce new French co-chair Andrieu to the Azerbaijani President.
Monnier noted that he knows Andrieu for 20 years, and they jointly carried out diplomatic activities in China.
He said Andrieu used to work as ambassador to Tajikistan and Moldova, and therefore is well acquainted with the former USSR.
Monnier added that Faure will serve as co-chairman until mid-June, and Pierre Andre will accompany him during his visits.
He further noted that long steps should be taken for the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after 20 years of the ceasefire, as peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan will lead to the stability and prosperity of the region.
Monnier said French President François Hollande expressed interest to receive the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents together with the co-chairs in France, adding that the proposal must be approved by the presidents.
He noted that Hollande put forward specific proposals for achieving peace between the parties and presidents can discuss them in France.
Monnier also expressed concern over the violation of ceasefire on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in recent days.
The situation on the frontline has escalated in recent days, as Armenian sabotage and intelligence groups have attempted several times to attack the posts of the Azerbaijani Army units.
As a result of ceasefire breaches, two servicemen of the Azerbaijani Army were killed and one soldier was wounded.
The Armenian armed forces have intensified ceasefire violations on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops since the beginning of 2014. As a result of ceasefire breaches, several Azerbaijani soldiers were shot dead.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that ceasefire violations are mostly taking place in the Fizuli, Agdam, Terter, Goranboy, Khojavend, and Jabrayil districts. In all cases, the enemy's shooting was answered by retaliatory fire.
The head of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan also voiced concern over the recent ceasefire breaches.
Malena Mard said the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still unsolved is extremely worrying.
"The fact that the conflict is not yet resolved after 20 years is extremely worrying," Mard stressed, adding that such kind of conflicts have left both civilians and servicemen wounded and dead on the contact line.
She said this puts the emphasis on the need to move forward with the solution of the conflict.
"I know the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are working both with Azerbaijan and Armenia to hopefully move forward to the peaceful solution of the conflict," Mard concluded.
The U.S. Department of State once again called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to redouble their efforts to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, we remain committed to helping the parties reach a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
She added that the sides should focus on the benefits that the peace would bring to the people across the region.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.