During the last visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen to Stepanakert, French mediator Bernard Fassier, answering the journalists' questions, stated that «...we crossed the contact-line and not the border».

Mr. Fassier is an experienced diplomat and he was not mistaken saying that the Co-Chairmen had crossed the contact-line and not the border, for two reasons. First, the OSCE MG Co-Chairmen crossed the contact-line of the NKR and AR armed forces from the NKR territory proper under Azerbaijan's occupation so far. And second, this is the section of the contact-line that is gradually turning into a confrontation-line between the NKR and AR armed forces, due to the persistent and aggressive efforts of Azerbaijan.

Just for this reason, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen personally conducted the monitoring, crossing the contact-line, their aim being to reduce confrontation between the NKR and AR armed forces.

Azeri mass media have been speculating on Mr. Fassier’s statement, trying to interpret it as Azerbaijan’s serious achievement.