Minsk Group Co-Chairs Should be More Consistent on Decreasing the Tension on the Borders

• 10.30.2017, 19:20
• Liana Hovhannisyan
•  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Armenia,  NKR

Days before the US newly-appointed Minsk Group Co-Chair Andrew Scheffer came up with a statement commenting on the meeting between Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place this month in Geneva. It is worth mentioning that in his comment referring to the joint statement issued by Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Co-Chairs after the meeting, Scheffer opened the brackets of some of the theses found in the statement.

In particular, urging the sides to respect the ceasefire regime, the US Co-Chair highlighted the importance of realizing the agreements already reached, particularly underlining the ones made during Vienna and Saint Petersburg meetings. In the context of the statement issued after Geneva meeting, which called the sides to undertake additional measures to decrease the tension on the borders, such emphasis by the US Co-Chair is very important and not occasional. It, in essence, proves that the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg are still on the agenda.

In this sense the statement made by the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova was not occasional either. She particularly welcomed "the declared commitment of the sides to undertake additional measures to reduce the tension on the line of contact."

Of course such consistency demonstrated by the Co-Chairs on the issue is positive. However, there are still continuous shootings on the borders taking human lives. It should become a serious reason for the Co-Chairs to more actively and consistently engage in the initiatives aimed at decreasing the tension on the borders. They can do it by bringing new suggestion on the agenda such as signing new trilateral agreement on non-use of force between the sides, or taking the snipers out from the borders.