PACE co-rapporteurs concerned over situation around Nagorno-Karabakh

/By Azernews/

By Nazrin Gadimova

PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia and Azerbaijan are seriously concerned over the recent situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Stefan Schennach, a co-rapporteur at the PACE, believes that it is necessary to make every effort to maintain the ceasefire so that to prevent casualties on the line of contact.

On April 19, PACE passed a resolution on the peaceful settlement of the long-lasting conflict. Forty-four members of the Parliamentary Assembly undersigned the document.

"The PACE reiterates its continuous support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to reach a lasting and just settlement to this conflict," the document said.

Thus, the members of the Parliamentary Assembly urged all sides to undertake decisive steps and show the necessary political will to reach a negotiated settlement based on proposals of France, the U.S. and Russia. Moreover, MPs believe that the creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations together with other proposals of the OSCE MG will contribute to the reduction of tensions and the creation of a more favorable atmosphere for advancing peace talks.

Matthew Bryza, former U.S. assistant secretary for South Caucasus and former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, believes it is important that PACE has focused international attention on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

However, the document that contains a call for avoiding violence is quite limited, Bryza told Vestnik Kavkaza.

It would be better if the PACE calls on the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group to interact personally with each other and with the parties to the conflict to fulfill the Madrid principles, he stressed.

"Without such actions at the highest level, the conflict will continue endlessly, and there will be a risk of even more serious collision than those occurred in early April, Bryza concluded.