STEPANAKERT—On Sunday, Artsakh’s President Bako Sahakian met with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the President’s press office reported.
Issues related to the situation along the contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijan were discussed during the meeting.
Speaking about the downing of an unarmed Artsakh Defense Army helicopter by Azeri armed forces last week, which resulted in the death of three Armenian servicemen, the President called Azerbaijan’s actions villainous and destructive.
The President noted that Azerbaijan’s behavior endangers the maintenance of stability and peace in the region and creates serious hindrances for the OSCE’s mediating efforts.
Sahakian highlighted the need for an objective evaluation of the incident by the international community, pointing out, at the same time, that such provocative actions from Azerbaijan would not remain without response.
On Monday, Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan received Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The sides also discussed the downing of the Artsakh helicopter. Mirzoyan emphasized that such an unprecedented violation of the ceasefire by Azerbaijan was a challenge, first of all, to the peaceful efforts of the international community, in particular to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
Mirzoyan noted that the absence of targeted condemnations of the side responsible for the incidents was being perceived by Azerbaijan as a license to impunity. The Minister stressed the need for the development and implementation of a mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations.
During the meeting, a range of issues, in particular those related to the monitoring carried out by the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, were also touched upon.
The Defense Minister of Artsakh, Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Movses Hakobyan, also met on Monday with Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk. The press service of the Ministry of Defense reported that during the meeting the sides discussed the fate of the crew of Artsakh’s downed Mi-24 helicopter.
Hakobyan expressed hope that the OSCE will use all its resources to clarify the fate of the helicopter crew and carry out all other ensuing procedures.
On Nov. 18, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission will conduct a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan in the Askeran region.
Artsakh’s authorities have expressed their readiness to assist in conducting the monitoring and to ensure the security of the OSCE Mission members.
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