OSCE monitoring expected on contact line of Azerbaijani, Armenian armies

OSCE is expected to monitor the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies July 8, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said July 7.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, on the contact line located near the village of Ashagi Veyselli of Azerbaijan's Fizuli district, the ministry said.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be carried out by the field assistants of OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Yevgeny Sharov and Peter Svedberg.

On the opposite side, the monitoring will be conducted by the field assistants of OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Hristo Hristov and Jiri Aberle.

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.

/By Trend/