OSCE will ultimately target Karabakh contact line instigator: Minister

November 7, 2015 - 14:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs will eventually issue a targeted assessment on the Karabakh conflict, the Defense Minister told reporters Saturday, November 7, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports.

“We are trying to maintain peace, repeatedly making serious efforts to develop unilateral confidence building mechanisms. We are trying not to retaliate and shell back, hoping for confidence building measures to be established through dialogue and mutual agreement,” Seyran Ohanyan said.

The Minister also noted that the situation is under full control.

The OSCE Mission conducted on October 27 a monitoring of the contact line between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in Martakert-Tartar road section, with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs participating.

During the monitoring, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and Ambassador Kasprzyk crossed the line of contact from Karabakh to Azerbaijan.

At the end of the monitoring, however, shots fired from submachine guns by the Azerbaijani side were registered.

“During our line of contact crossing, repeated gunfire forced OSCE monitors to take cover. This is unacceptable,” the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair James Warlick later said in a tweet.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.