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OSCE teams elaborates mechanisms for investigating potential incidents
in Karabakh conflict zone
19:57 14/12/2013 » REGION
The numbers of those reported killed or wounded as a result of
ceasefire violations on the contact line in 2013 are lower than those
in 2012, Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk told Azerbaijani information agency Trend.
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan
have made it clear that they intend to build on the momentum of their
meeting in Vienna and intensify the peace process. According to
Kasprzyk this indeed gives ground for optimism in 2014. The ambassador
believes that in the last few weeks there have been optimistic
assessments from Armenian and Azerbaijani officials concerning the
negotiation process.
As Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office noted, with
the permission and assistance of the sides, OSCE teams have visited
the Line of Contact (LOC) on 17 occasions in 2013.
"Local commanders and their superiors, as well as civilian
authorities, have raised a number of serious concerns during these
visits. These concerns include: the risk to life posed to civilians
and military personnel, both from ceasefire violations and
mine-related incidents; and the debilitating psychological and
economic impact on those living close to the LOC," he noted.
The numbers of those reported killed or wounded as a result of
ceasefire violations in 2013 are lower than those in 2012.
However, the ceasefire remains self-regulated: the risks remain as
serious as ever, and those living close to the LOC will continue to
suffer hardship until such time as the ceasefire is strengthened.
He noted that Both the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal
Representative have mandates to work with the parties to develop
confidence-building and other measures.
As Kasprzyk noted Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan have called for
additional steps to strengthen the ceasefire and carry out
confidence-building measures in all fields in order to create a better
atmosphere for the negotiations. One of confidence-building measures,
according to him, would be developing humanitarian contacts between
the two sides, expressing their readiness to pursue dialogue between
intelligentsia, academic and public circles.
Besides, according to Kasprzyk his team is helping to elaborate a
mechanism for investigating potential incidents.
Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office also noted that
Implementation of some confidence-building measures is more
complicated than that of others, of course, but these measures can and
- sooner or later - will help reduce tensions on the Line of Contact
and the international border, reduce the risks faced by military
personnel and those living close to the front lines, and create a
better atmosphere for the negotiations, allowing Presidents Aliyev and
Sargsyan to make demonstrable progress towards a lasting political
settlement.
On November 19 in Vienna, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, had a bilateral meeting which was
followed by a working meeting with the participation of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs (Russia, France, USA), as well as the Personal
Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office. The statement issued by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs after the meeting noted that "the
Presidents agreed to give impetus to the further negotiations aimed at
reaching a peaceful settlement, and instructed the foreign ministers
of the two states, to proceed on the basis of what has already been
done, in order to intensify the peace process; they agreed to meet
again in the upcoming months." In addition, the co-chairs plan to
visit the region before the end of the current year.
Source: Panorama.am
in Karabakh conflict zone
19:57 14/12/2013 » REGION
The numbers of those reported killed or wounded as a result of
ceasefire violations on the contact line in 2013 are lower than those
in 2012, Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk told Azerbaijani information agency Trend.
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan
have made it clear that they intend to build on the momentum of their
meeting in Vienna and intensify the peace process. According to
Kasprzyk this indeed gives ground for optimism in 2014. The ambassador
believes that in the last few weeks there have been optimistic
assessments from Armenian and Azerbaijani officials concerning the
negotiation process.
As Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office noted, with
the permission and assistance of the sides, OSCE teams have visited
the Line of Contact (LOC) on 17 occasions in 2013.
"Local commanders and their superiors, as well as civilian
authorities, have raised a number of serious concerns during these
visits. These concerns include: the risk to life posed to civilians
and military personnel, both from ceasefire violations and
mine-related incidents; and the debilitating psychological and
economic impact on those living close to the LOC," he noted.
The numbers of those reported killed or wounded as a result of
ceasefire violations in 2013 are lower than those in 2012.
However, the ceasefire remains self-regulated: the risks remain as
serious as ever, and those living close to the LOC will continue to
suffer hardship until such time as the ceasefire is strengthened.
He noted that Both the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal
Representative have mandates to work with the parties to develop
confidence-building and other measures.
As Kasprzyk noted Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan have called for
additional steps to strengthen the ceasefire and carry out
confidence-building measures in all fields in order to create a better
atmosphere for the negotiations. One of confidence-building measures,
according to him, would be developing humanitarian contacts between
the two sides, expressing their readiness to pursue dialogue between
intelligentsia, academic and public circles.
Besides, according to Kasprzyk his team is helping to elaborate a
mechanism for investigating potential incidents.
Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office also noted that
Implementation of some confidence-building measures is more
complicated than that of others, of course, but these measures can and
- sooner or later - will help reduce tensions on the Line of Contact
and the international border, reduce the risks faced by military
personnel and those living close to the front lines, and create a
better atmosphere for the negotiations, allowing Presidents Aliyev and
Sargsyan to make demonstrable progress towards a lasting political
settlement.
On November 19 in Vienna, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, had a bilateral meeting which was
followed by a working meeting with the participation of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs (Russia, France, USA), as well as the Personal
Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office. The statement issued by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs after the meeting noted that "the
Presidents agreed to give impetus to the further negotiations aimed at
reaching a peaceful settlement, and instructed the foreign ministers
of the two states, to proceed on the basis of what has already been
done, in order to intensify the peace process; they agreed to meet
again in the upcoming months." In addition, the co-chairs plan to
visit the region before the end of the current year.
Source: Panorama.am