Baku/21.06.19/Turan: The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) hosted consultations between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on 20 June in Washington. The Co-Chairs met separately and then jointly with the Ministers. They also briefed Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker on the situation on the ground and the status of settlement talks. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also took part in these meetings.
During their discussions, the participants exchanged views on recent developments on the ground and core issues of the settlement process. The Foreign Ministers clarified their positions and expectations with respect to implementation of the humanitarian and security measures proposed by the mediators during their last trip to the region.
Noting with regret recent casualties, the Co-Chairs urged the sides to take immediate measures to restore an atmosphere conducive to peace and favorable to substantive talks. They called on the sides to reaffirm their commitment to observe the ceasefire strictly and to refrain from any provocative action, including the use of snipers and engineering works along the line of contact and the international border.
During their conversation with the Co-Chairs, the Foreign Ministers agreed upon the importance of taking full advantage of the existing direct communication links in order to react swiftly to reduce the risk of escalation.
The Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under the auspices of the Co-Chairs.-0-
Politics
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On November 27, an online hearing took place at the Khatai District Court regarding a petition from the defense for the release of Alaskar Mammadli, the founder of Toplum TV, under house arrest. Mammadli has been in custody at Baku’s Detention Center No. 1. The court denied the petition, Mammadli's brother, Nasimi Mammadli.
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On November 28, another hearing took place in the case of public activist Ilhamiz Guliyev. During the proceedings, the court reviewed a response from the 28th Police Station of the Yasamal District in Baku. At the previous hearing, the defense had requested that the court obtain footage from the surveillance cameras at this police station, where Guliyev was taken on December 4 of last year. However, the police response stated that the video footage had not been preserved.
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Due to significant violations, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have rejected the results of Georgia's recent parliamentary elections held on October 26 and are calling for the elections to be rerun within the year, a resolution adopted by the European lawmakers on Thursday.
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On November 27, it marked one year since the arrest of Kanal-13 editor Aziz Orudjev, who was detained just a week after the arrest of employees from another media outlet, Abzas Media. According to Orudjev’s family, his health has significantly deteriorated during his time in detention. Over 20 journalists are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.
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