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The casualties and ceasefire violations on the line of contact and the border in the area of Karabakh conflict cause concern, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk said about this in an interview with the Azerbaijani News Agency Trend.

According to Kasprzyk, each casualty is a tragedy that can be avoided if the ceasefire is respected. “Unfortunately, in recent weeks the situation has grown more tense and the risk of an escalation should not be underestimated,” he said.

Kasprzyk noted that during the monitoring on the contact line he became a witness of growing tensions. “In spite of the fact that local commanders on both sides gave guarantees that during the monitoring the ceasefire wouldn’t be violated and that the security of the mentoring team would be guaranteed, shots were fired,” he said.

According to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, both sides should respect the ceasefire and both sides are responsible for the compliance with the ceasefire.

“In Paris, the Co-chairs called on the sides to fully and unconditionally respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and stressed that the recent incidents undermine negotiations and diminish the prospects for peace. Representatives of Foreign Ministries of the three Co-chairing countries just recently issued statements calling for a strict observation of the ceasefire. Discussions about strengthening the ceasefire are continuing, and it will be a subject for talks during the visit of the Co-chairs to the region in the coming days,” Kasprzyk said.

Kasprzyk emphasized that the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said that he was as well concerned by deaths and injuries among military personnel and civilians. “Burkhalter urges the sides to make full use of the opportunities, the visits of the OSCE teams to the contact line provide, to communicate directly with one another and to be able to reduce the tensions,” Kasprzyk said.

When referring to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris, he noted that the Ministers and the Co-Chairs discussed some issues for the advancement of the peace process.

“The Ministers reiterated their willingness to continue working towards a peaceful, negotiated settlement. The Co-chairs will continue to work on this during their upcoming visit to the region," Kasprzyk said.