James Warlick, US Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group
James Warlick, the US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with mediating a solution to the Karabakh Conflict, spoke about the latest flagrant violation of the ceasefire regime along the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. On January 4, Warlick tweeted that “2015 should be a year for NK peace and a lasting settlement. Renewed violence is not the answer.”
In the early morning hours of January 3, at approximately 3:15 A.M., two separate diversionary attacks by the Azerbaijani army were conducted along the southwestern front of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh Republic. According to a statement released by the NKR Defense Ministry, frontline forces of the Karabakh Defense Army were able to push back the adversary to their starting positions.Two Armenian soldiers, Karen Grigoryan and Vardan Mkrtchyan were killed during the battle. Another soldier, Volodya Harutyunyan sustained injuries.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry issued a statement regarding this latest ceasefire violation, noting that all units of the Karabakh Defense Army were monitoring the situation along the entire length of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact.
“The Defense Ministry declares that the situation initiated by Azerbaijan on the eve of Christmas is a result of their military and political leadership’s insidious policy and wholly contradicts the spirit and logic of the negotiation process for a peaceful settlement of the conflict by the OSCE Minsk Group,” the statement read.
The Defense Ministry underscored that the “reprehensible actions and irresponsible policy” of Azerbaijan at the very beginning of 2015 must be called out and condemned by the international community and in particular, by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries.
2015 should be a year for #NKpeace and a lasting settlement. Renewed violence is not the answer. #Armenia #Azerbaijan
— James Warlick (@AmbJamesWarlick) January 4, 2015
