Mediator countries are attempting to prevent the escalation processes with this statement: Advisor of Artsakh’s president

It seems the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries are realizing the seriousness of the moment and the targeted statement is the least the CoChairs could do, Tigran Abrahamyan, advisor of Artsakh’s president, told Armenpress commenting on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ May 18 statement.

“Mediator countries are attempting to prevent the escalation processes with this statement, because Azerbaijan is consistently adding tension to processes in the frontline. The chapter of solving the conflict militarily hasn’t yet been closed in Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan’s intention on preparing for active actions is simply obvious,” Abrahamyan said.

Asked what actions should follow the addressed statement of the co-chairs, the presidential advisor mentioned that this statement perhaps has an easing function to some extent, however it must be fixed with practical steps.

“In this phase, the main task of the co-chairs is to push Azerbaijan towards implementing the Vienna agreements. Otherwise the statement of the co-chairs can be effective only in a short-term period,” Abrahamyan said. Regarding Azerbaijan’s activeness in this phase, Abrahamyan mentioned that it is associated with several factors, however first of all it seeks to achieve concessions through pressures.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America, released a statement on May 18 on the May 15 Azerbaijani missile launch in the line of contact. The statement namely said “According to information collected from multiple reliable sources, on 15 May, Azerbaijani armed forces fired a missile across the Line of Contact, striking military equipment.”