Saying that the OSCE is monitoring the situation on the Lachin Corridor, the organization’s chairman-in-office, North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said he will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan to assess the situation on the ground.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office held two separate telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan, and Jeyhun Bayramov, the OSCE said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The conversations with the ministers focused on the situation in the South Caucasus region, with a particular emphasis on the Lachin corridor. Minister Osmani emphasized that he is carefully following the situation around the Lachin corridor. He expressed his concerns about its effect on the daily lives of the civilian population. He called for all sides to ease tensions and engage in constructive and productive dialogue,” added the statement.
“Chairman Osmani assessed that measures for building trust and normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as part of the OSCE toolkit, are key elements to overcome ongoing challenges that affect people on the ground,” said the OSCE statement.
“In this context, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Osmani reiterated his readiness for personal engagement to help defuse tensions, and contribute to efforts towards sustainable peace. He also announced that he will hold subsequent separate visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the OSCE said.
During his conversation with Osmani on Tuesday, Mirzoyan provided a briefing about the humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor. According to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, it was emphasized that the actions of Azerbaijan are a gross violation of the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, as well as international humanitarian law.
Mirzoyan emphasized that Azerbaijan’s steps are aimed at subjecting 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to ethnic cleansing.
He emphasized the need for concrete steps by the OSCE and other international organizations.