The OSCE is still working on the removal of snipers from the contact line separating Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.
“We, I as the ambassador, and my colleagues from the OSCE, raise this issue at different levels," Andrzej Kasprzyk, special representative of the OSCE chaiman-in-office, said during monitoring of the contact line from the Armenian side.
"The issue is raised with the foreign ministers, and at the level of the heads of state. As you know, the issue was raised two years ago at the ministerial session in Helsinki and the UN secretary general mentioned it in Astana. We hope this issue will find a solution,” Kasprzyk said.
He said that the main role of his group was to promote trust on both sides of the contact line in order to avoid exchanges of fire and to allow people living in the nearby villages to live and work normally.
The veteran monitor said that his reports were studied carefully by the OSCE Minsk Group mediators and the OSCE chairman-in-office.
“I draw conclusions from the reports about violations of the ceasefire, but these conclusions may be erroneous, since proving [who is guilty] requires specific staff, in particular, ballistic experts and experts on other issues. I don't have such experts. We have a small group - six people, including me," he said.
“If a ceasefire violation occurs before our visit, how can we prove what happened? If there is no evidence, you know that it is like being in court - nothing can be done," Kasprzyk said.
He added, however, that he had an understanding of what happened on the contact line, since monitoring is done regularly and he is aware of positions at the front.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
