Baku, Azerbaijan, May 5
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is expected to monitor the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on May 6, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on May 5.
The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative, on the contact line located to the south-east from the Gapanli village of Azerbaijan's Terter region, the ministry said.
On the Azerbaijani side of the contact line, the monitoring will be held by the field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Peter Svedberg and Irji Aberle.
On the opposite side, the monitoring will be conducted by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk and the field assistants, Hristo Hristov and Evgeny Sharov.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by S.I.