By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have voiced concerns over the recent incidents along Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, in a statement made on July 29.

Expressing their concern on casualties and the loss of life, the Co-Chairs called upon the sides to de-escalate the situation immediately, refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, and implement fully their commitments under the November 9 statement and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements.

The Co-Chairs also reiterated the need for a comprehensive and sustainable settlement of all remaining core substantive issues of the conflict through negotiations under the auspices of the Co-Chairs as soon as possible.

Moreover, the Co-Chairs reminded their strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and his team.

Furthermore, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ann Linde expressed her grave concerns over repeated incidents along Armenia-Azerbaijan border on her Twitter account, urging the sides to develop humanitarian steps and implement the Joint Statement signed between Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on November 10 last year.

Last week saw one of the worst escalations of tension along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border since the signing of the November trilateral statement that ended the last year’s war.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have failed to come to an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of their state border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tension over border delimitation gained fresh momentum following the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020.

Azerbaijan liberated 300 city centers, settlements, villages and the historic Shusha city in the war that lasted from September 27 to November 10. The Russian-brokered peace deal also stipulated the return of Kalbajar, Lachin and Aghdam regions occupied by the Armenian forces in the war in the early 1990s.