The OSCE mission members have visited the contact line between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan on seventeen occasions in 2013.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, told the aforesaid to Trend news agency of Azerbaijan.

“Local commanders, as well as civilian authorities, have raised a number of serious concerns during these visits,” he said. “These concerns include: the risk to life posed to civilians and military personnel, both from ceasefire violations and mine-related incidents; and the debilitating psychological and economic impact on those living close to the contact line.”

As per the ambassador, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan have made it clear that they intend to build on the momentum of their meetings and intensify the peace process, which indeed gives ground for optimism in 2014.

“In the last few weeks I have heard cautiously optimistic assessments from Armenian and Azerbaijani officials,” he added.

“The number of those reported killed or wounded as a result of ceasefire violations in 2013 is less than those in 2012,” Kasprzyk said. “However, the ceasefire remains self-regulated: the risks remain as serious as ever, and those living close to the contact line will continue to suffer hardship until such time as the ceasefire is strengthened.”

Moreover, as per Kasprzyk, his team has been helping to elaborate a mechanism for investigating potential incidents.