UNHCR Participation Helped OSCE MG Co-Chairs Better Understand Refugees’ Rights

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, released the following statement today:

“The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs carried out their planned Field Assessment Mission to the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. This Mission took place October 7-13, 2010, along modalities they had previously discussed with all sides involved. The Co-Chairs’ Mission was supported by OSCE Personal Representative of the Chair-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his staff, working with de facto local authorities. On the Co-Chairs’ invitation, three technical experts, including two from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), assisted them in their tasks. 

Prior to undertaking their Mission, the Co-Chairs met separately on October 6, 2010, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to present details of the Mission and introduce their team. They also had a similar meeting October 7, 2010, with the de facto authorities in Stepanakert/Khankendi.

The Mission provided an important opportunity for the Co-Chairs to meet with numerous people on the ground and familiarize themselves with the overall current situation in the territories, in all aspects, including humanitarian needs. The unprecedented participation of technical experts from the UNHCR allowed the Mission team to understand better the rights, within the framework of international humanitarian law, of all refugees and displaced persons in the region and the conditions now facing those living in these territories.

The Co-Chairs, with input from the experts, are now compiling the information gathered during their Mission. After completing this work, they will prepare an internal OSCE report, which will be shared with all sides.”