Andrzej Kasprzyk: Ceasefire regime on frontline and on Armenian-Azerbaijani border is disturbed more frequently
Recently, several worrying incidents on the Azerbaijani-Armenian contact line and the border were reported, which indicates that the tension is high, Andrzej Kasprzyk, and endangers the lives of the lives of the OSCE representatives, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative said in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency Trend.
"Every casualty is a tragedy, not least for the families of those affected. My team and I are regularly monitoring the front lines, last on May 19 and June 10, and the reports we receive during these exercises are consistent with this picture. The incidents occur in a specific location, however the tension then spreads along the lines," Kasprzyk said.
According to him the ceasefire is in force through the agreement reached between the parties and their political will. He added that therefore the responsibility of the sides to ensure that their troops do not violate the cease-fire on the line of contact and the border. It is up to the commanders of the respective forces to implement it, “Every violation is an indication of the need to improve this implementation,” Kasprzyk noted.
Kasprzyk went on to add that the chairmanship of the OSCE, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group and he are working to strengthen the cease-fire and find ways to mitigate the consequences of these incidents. "Relevant proposals were formulated and presented for consideration. The ultimate responsibility however lies with the sides to adhere to the cease-fire agreement. I am also concerned about the safety of my team, as the mounting tension puts us at risk when performing our duties in the trenches along the front- lines," he stressed.
Comparing the statistics of recent years published by the military authorities Kasprzyk noted that the number of shots fired and violations is high and the number of casualties this year is already higher than for the previous year.