Minsk Group Issues Reprimand on Ceasefire Violations, Order Immediate Investigation

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, released the following statement on Mar. 9:

“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) are deeply concerned by reports of cease-fire violations along the Line of Contact before and after the March 5 Sochi Summit. Such senseless acts, if confirmed, would contravene the commitment of the parties to refrain from the use of force and to seek a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The Co-Chairs have asked Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office, to carry out an immediate investigation with the participation of all sides, as agreed in the March 5 joint statement issued in Sochi by Presidents Dmitri Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev, and Serzh Sargsyan. The Co-Chairs will travel next week to the region, where they will call upon the parties to cooperate fully with the investigation.

“The Co-Chairs strongly condemn any loss of life, and urge all sides to exercise restraint, respect the 1994 cease-fire, and fulfill their obligations undertaken in Astrakhan in October 2010 and Sochi earlier this month.”