OSCE Field Assessment Mission to start work in territories around Karabakh

OSCE Field Assessment Mission starts work in the territories around Nagorno Karabakh.

Earlier OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Ambassadors Bernard Fassier (France), Robert Bradtke (US) and Igor Popov (Russia) and the Personal Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk had on September 23, in the margins of the 65th session of the UN Security Council, met with Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers and stated that the OSCE Field Basement Mission will start its work from October 4-14.

The Co-Chairs had informed Edward Nalbandyan and Elmar Mammadyarov about the preparations for their upcoming Field Assessment Mission in the territories around Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Following on their preliminary contacts with UN officials in Geneva and New York, the Co-Chairs formally invited UNDP and UNHCR experts to participate in the Mission. In addition, the Co-Chairs confirmed to the Ministers their working plan for the following months, including preparations for the OSCE Summit in Astana," the Co-Chairs had said in a statement.
 
The Мission has kicked up various reactions in Armenia.

“We must openly tell the [Field] Assessment Mission that yes, there are Armenians living here [in the territories around Karabakh] who have been expelled, deported by Azerbaijan,” head of Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (Dashnaktsutyun – ARF-D) parliamentary faction Vahan Hovhannisyan had said, speaking about the mission.

Member of opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) Davit Shahnazaryan had, in turn, said that if the Mission visits territories around Nagorno Karabakh, then it should also visit Armenian territories seized by Azerbaijan.