OSCE Mediators Blame Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violations in Karabakh

VIENNA (RFE/RL) — International mediators brokering a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have condemned recent ceasefire violations in the region in a statement issued on Thursday.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Richard Hoagland of the United States, called upon the sides to take “all necessary measures to prevent any further escalation in the conflict zone.”

“According to information collected from multiple reliable sources, on May 15, Azerbaijani armed forces fired a missile across the Line of Contact, striking military equipment. On the evening of May 16 and continuing into May 17, Armenian armed forces retaliated with mortar fire of various calibers. These actions by both sides represent significant violations of the ceasefire and are cause for alarm,” the mediators said.

The international mediators said there are contradictory reports regarding the targets of these recent strikes, as well as about casualties sustained and damages inflicted.

“The Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office continue to collect further data and analysis to gain more complete and accurate information about the current situation,” they said.