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OSCE Secretary General Calls for Observance of Ceasefire, Supports Reforms
The OSCE Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier, on an official visit to Armenia today, stressed the importance of strict observance of the ceasefire on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and on the Line of Contact as a prerequisite for reaching a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and pledged the OSCE's continued support to Armenia in its reforms.
Zannier said the OSCE fully supported the process facilitated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the efforts of the OSCE Chairperson's Personal Representative in negotiating a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He voiced his concern at the developments on the Line of Contact and on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, especially the targeting of civilians living close to the front lines.
"There is a clear need to immediately implement measures that would stabilize the worrying situation and prevent the unacceptable further loss of lives," he said after his meeting with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan. "It is essential for both sides to abstain from retaliatory measures that would lead to further escalation and to remove snipers from the Line of Contact - this is the message I also delivered in Baku."
Zannier stressed that promoting confidence-building measures, including people-to-people contacts, between the conflict sides, as agreed by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi, was a priority for the OSCE. The Secretary General said that the 20 years of Armenia's participation in the CSCE/OSCE marked this year was "an important milestone" and welcomed the reform path that the country had embarked upon.
"The OSCE stands ready to fully support the country in its profound regulatory, economic, police, judicial, and democratic reforms, including through the OSCE Office in Yerevan which has been closely involved in the reform process," he said.
Welcoming the peaceful conduct of the parliamentary elections of 6 May, Zannier also emphasized the importance of addressing in a timely manner the shortcomings identified by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' Election Observation Mission, ahead of next year's presidential elections, in order to "help enhance general confidence in the process".
During his visit, the Secretary General will also meet President Serzh Sargsyan and the Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan.
The visit to Yerevan completes the trip of the Secretary General to the South Caucasus that started in Baku on 8 and 9 July, followed by a visit to Tbilisi from 9 to 11 July. -0-
Politics
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Armenia is not against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, but does not consider it appropriate to discuss this issue now. "In the context of peace, we consider it possible to make a decision on the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. When peace is an established fact, the existence of such a format may raise questions," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference today. "The whole question is about the timing, we need to understand how effectively and correctly to turn such topics into a subject of discussion right now," the Armenian Prime Minister added.
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He expressed his willingness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the border between the two countries. "A meeting with Ilham Aliyev could take place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am open to such a format," Pashinyan said at a press conference today. According to Pashinyan, Armenia recently presented another proposal for a peace treaty to Azerbaijan.
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On August 31, Azerbaijan observes a "day of silence" before the Sunday’s early parliamentary elections for the unicameral Milli Majlis. All electoral campaigning is prohibited 24 hours before the voting. The early elections were initiated by the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party. This decision was motivated by the overlap of the scheduled elections in November with the global UN forum - the COP20 climate conference taking place in Baku.
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On August 30, at approximately 22:55, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant in Metsamor was disconnected from the country's power grid, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The shutdown was caused by a lightning strike, which triggered the plant's safety systems to switch the station to a safe shutdown mode. Currently, the plant's staff is working on restarting the facility.
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