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OSCE MINSK GROUP FOR KARABAKH CALLS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO DESTROYED HELICOPTER
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 19 2014
World
November 19, 23:31 UTC+3 VIENNA
The helicopter was brought down by Azerbaijani forces last week
VIENNA, November 19. /TASS/. Co-chairpersons of the Minsk Group for
Nagorno Karabakh that reports to the European security organization
OSCE have called on parties to the Karabakh conflict to provide
access to the helicopter that was brought down by Azerbaijani forces
last week.
The conflict in Nagorny Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave
region of Azerbaijan, broke out at the end of the 1990's when both
Armenia and Azerbaijan were still constituent republics of the Soviet
Union. In the early 1990's, it took the form of a bloody military
conflict.
A ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. Although no comprehensive
solution to the conflict has been found ever since, ceasefire is
generally observed, with minor occasional disruptions.
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said last week it had brought down a
helicopter of the Armenian Armed Forces over the territory of Karabakh.
Ambassadors of Russia, France and the U.S. Igor Popov, Pierre Andrieu
and James Warlick who co-chair the Minsk Group have expressed their
deep concern over the absence of "humanitarian access" to the site
where the Azerbaijani forces downed the helicopter on November 12.
"The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group [...] remain deeply concerned
that there has been no humanitarian access to the crash site of the
military helicopter downed by Azerbaijani forces on November 12,"
the statement says. "The wreckage of the helicopter lies in a heavily
mined area of neutral territory on the Line of Contact."
"We call on the sides to cease firing in the vicinity of the crash
site and facilitate the demining of the area surrounding the site,"
the ambassadors say.
"In the spirit of the Astrakhan statement of October 2010 between the
Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, the Co-Chairs urge
Azerbaijan to permit the recovery of the bodies of the victims,
and Armenia to cooperate fully with all efforts to resolve this
humanitarian situation," the statement said.
"We note the presence of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his team in the
region, and encourage the sides to use his good offices to allow
access," Ambassadors Popov, Landrieu and Warlick said.
"We reaffirm our November 12 statement, reminding the sides of their
responsibilities to respect the ceasefire and honor the commitments
they made in Sochi, Newport, and Paris to find a peaceful resolution
to the conflict," the statement said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/760635
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 19 2014
World
November 19, 23:31 UTC+3 VIENNA
The helicopter was brought down by Azerbaijani forces last week
VIENNA, November 19. /TASS/. Co-chairpersons of the Minsk Group for
Nagorno Karabakh that reports to the European security organization
OSCE have called on parties to the Karabakh conflict to provide
access to the helicopter that was brought down by Azerbaijani forces
last week.
The conflict in Nagorny Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave
region of Azerbaijan, broke out at the end of the 1990's when both
Armenia and Azerbaijan were still constituent republics of the Soviet
Union. In the early 1990's, it took the form of a bloody military
conflict.
A ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. Although no comprehensive
solution to the conflict has been found ever since, ceasefire is
generally observed, with minor occasional disruptions.
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said last week it had brought down a
helicopter of the Armenian Armed Forces over the territory of Karabakh.
Ambassadors of Russia, France and the U.S. Igor Popov, Pierre Andrieu
and James Warlick who co-chair the Minsk Group have expressed their
deep concern over the absence of "humanitarian access" to the site
where the Azerbaijani forces downed the helicopter on November 12.
"The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group [...] remain deeply concerned
that there has been no humanitarian access to the crash site of the
military helicopter downed by Azerbaijani forces on November 12,"
the statement says. "The wreckage of the helicopter lies in a heavily
mined area of neutral territory on the Line of Contact."
"We call on the sides to cease firing in the vicinity of the crash
site and facilitate the demining of the area surrounding the site,"
the ambassadors say.
"In the spirit of the Astrakhan statement of October 2010 between the
Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, the Co-Chairs urge
Azerbaijan to permit the recovery of the bodies of the victims,
and Armenia to cooperate fully with all efforts to resolve this
humanitarian situation," the statement said.
"We note the presence of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his team in the
region, and encourage the sides to use his good offices to allow
access," Ambassadors Popov, Landrieu and Warlick said.
"We reaffirm our November 12 statement, reminding the sides of their
responsibilities to respect the ceasefire and honor the commitments
they made in Sochi, Newport, and Paris to find a peaceful resolution
to the conflict," the statement said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/760635