Monitoring conducted on the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line passes without violation of ceasefire regime

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS: Regular OSCE monitoring of the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line took place today in the territory of Berkaber village of Ijevan, Tavush province. It passed without violation of the ceasefire regime. From the Armenian side the monitoring was implemented by the head of 9th division of the operative department of the Chief Headquarter of the Armenian Armed forces, Colonel Andranik Mkrtumyan and field assistants of the personal representative of the OSCE chairman in office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

A. Mkrtumyan told the reporters that the Armenian side from the very beginning expressed wish to conduct monitoring in the sector of the contact line where an Azerbaijani diversion group was disarmed March 3. It was in the territory of Koti village of the Tavush province, but as far as the Azerbaijani side did not provided security guarantees the monitoring was held in the sector of Berkaber.

He said the monitoring was planned for 30 minutes but with the demand of the Azerbaijani side it lasted only seven minutes as according to him, the rival was not sure it would manage to keep back its own snipers.

Before the monitoring at the meeting with the OSCE representatives in the Tavush governor’s office, governor Armen Ghulyan underscored the conduction of such monitoring as according to him, the cases of violation of cease fire regime, border by the Azerbaijani side have increased. The governor said almost every day the Azerbaijani side opens fire in the direction of Chinar, Aygepar, Artsvaberd. Recently as a result of fire opened by the Azerbaijani snipers a soldier has been killed. In Berkaber 38 cases of fire series have been registered. Last year 4500 cases of violation of ceasefire regime have been registered in the Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line and during the first two months of the running year 1500.

The governor suggested the OSCE representatives that one-sided monitoring be organized without warning the Azerbaijani side. “Only in that case you will see the real picture of the ceasefire violation, and now when a mutual arrangement is being achieved and the monitoring is held after providing security guarantees the real picture cannot be seen,” the governor assured.