Azerbaijan rejects OSCE proposal to monitor contact line

On March 20, on the proposal of the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission had to hold a monitoring-investigation on the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces’ contact-line near Akna settlement, Askeran direction, in connection with the death of NKR Defense Army serviceman Aharon Hairapetian who was killed on March 17 by an Azerbaijani sniper in this section. The monitoring didn’t take place, due to Azerbaijan’s refusal.

The OSCE Mission, headed by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, had to hold a unilateral investigation of the incident. Representatives of the NKR Ministry of Defense informed the monitoring group on the details of the rough violation of the cease-fire regime by the Azerbaijani party, as a result of which the NKR Defense Army serviceman was killed.

A few minutes after the OSCE Mission’s departure, sniper shots were fired from the Azerbaijani side at the point where the investigation had taken place. Ambassador Kasprzyk was informed about this incident, NKR MFA Press Service said.