Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12
Trend:
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is concerned over the developments around the helicopter crash on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, and believes that such incidents can expand the scope of the crisis, the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said Nov. 12, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Such catastrophes can lead to a broader crisis in the context of a situation that is increasingly unstable, Zannier said at a hearing at the European Parliament.
On Nov. 12, at 13:45 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) a Mi-24 helicopter flying 1700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Aghdam district attacked the positions of the Azerbaijani army. The helicopter was shot down by the Azerbaijani side.
The debris of the downed helicopter fell on an area, located 500 meters away from the frontline.
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 US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by CN