ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Tuesday


Yerevan: To curb the destructive policy of Azerbaijan, the mediators
must move from statements to concrete actions

Yerevan May 30

Mariana Mkrtchyan. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group pointed out
for the first time that it was Azerbaijan that violated the ceasefire
agreement and opened fire. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
stated this at a joint press conference with the OSCE Secretary
General Lamberto Zannier on May 30 in Yerevan.

According to him, Azerbaijan opposed the implementation of the
mechanisms of trust, because it did not want to give the OSCE MG
co-chairs or relevant participants in these mechanisms, to indicate
who violates the ceasefire regime, who first opens fire. "However,
this is obvious without these mechanisms, as evidenced by the last
statement of the Minsk mediators. But this is not the first address
statement of the co- chairs. They repeatedly spoke with targeted
statements directed to Azerbaijan, that there is no need to aggravate
the situation in the region, it is necessary to reaffirm the
commitment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, to respect the
mandate of the mediators, to refrain from attempts to transfer the
settlement process to other formats, and to introduce mechanisms for
investigating the incidents. This list can be continued. Even if there
are indirect statements, it immediately becomes clear to whom they are
addressed," said the diplomat.

He recalled, that Armenia and Artsakh were always for the
implementation of term less three parted agreement of 1994-95, unlike
Azerbaijan. According to him, mediators did not only make statements
but also sent official letters calling on to respect the agreements
reached. "

On May 18, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs issued a statement in
connection with the missile strike struck on May 15 by the Azerbaijani
Armed Forces on the military site of Nagorno- Karabakh: "According to
information collected from several reliable sources, on May 15 the
Azerbaijani armed forces fired a missile strike on military equipment
on the opposite side of the contact line. From the evening of May 16
until May 17, the Armenian armed forces struck back with mortars of
various calibers. These actions by both sides are a serious violation
of the ceasefire and are of concern. There are conflicting reports
about the goals of these recent attacks, as well as on the victims and
the damage done. The co-chairs of the Minsk Group and the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office continue to collect
additional data and analytical materials in order to obtain more
complete and accurate information on the current situation. The OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs condemn these recent violations of the ceasefire
regime and urge the parties to take all necessary measures to prevent
further escalation of the conflict."