Andrzej Kasprzyk: Monitoring activates will be resumed as soon as circumstances allow
  • MILITARY

  • 14:44 17 June 2020

Andrzej Kasprzyk: Monitoring activates will be resumed as soon as circumstances allow

"Apart from the monitoring activities and face-to-face meetings, the work of my Office continues. Like many other organizations in this situation, we rely on video conferences and other technical means to keep communication lines open," said Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk's interview to Armenian media, ONA reports.

Recalling that Office was temporarily suspended monitoring activities due to COVID-19 pandemic, Andrzej Kasprzyk noted that they continue to follow the situation on the ground, maintaining contact with interlocutors and reporting to the OSCE Chairmanship and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as to OSCE participating States. "I am planning for the resumption of our activities in full as soon as the situation allows. Meanwhile, the Office is also using the time to strengthen internal processes."

He touched upon the issue of expanding the Office group. According to him, at the summits in Vienna and St Petersburg in 2016, an idea of expanding the Office was accepted in principle.  He said modalities related to this expansion still need to be agreed upon.

He emphasized that whenever there is an incident, he is in contact with the sides and informs the OSCE Chairmanship and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. "It is important to remember that I do not have the mandate to conduct investigations."

"Support for confidence-building measures is an important part of my mandate. I hope that people-to-people contacts can help to build trust and repair relations. I remain committed to assist in developing further confidence-building measures upon the request of the sides and when the situation related to COVID-19 will allow for it," he said.

Zumrud Pashkin

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