Armenian and Azerbaijani sides are carrying out engineering works, a conflict is born whether we want it or not: Kocharyan

There will always be tension at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which is why the next step for international organizations should be the establishment of an observation mission. This was stated today by Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, during a briefing with reporters in parliament.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had mentioned the necessity of an international observation mission on Twitter, and today he announced it during a government session.

Kocharyan noted that the tension arose as a result of engineering works being carried out on the frontline. These works are conducted by both Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. "These works are so close to each other that whether we want it or not, a conflict arises and shots are fired. At least it’s good that it has not escalated into large-scale operations, because international reactions have at least restrained some actions by Azerbaijan," Kocharyan said.

He is confident that the deployment of observers could ease the tension at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. According to the parliament member, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group could come forward with a proposal for an observation mission. They can also exert pressure on Baku to agree to a resolution of the issue.

He emphasized that the observation mission does not mean that international observers would come and stand in the middle of the military forces of the two conflicting countries. It involves the use of monitoring systems, including drones, which can track and record who fires first.