STEPANAKERT. - The President of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan met with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Armenian News - NEWS.am reports.

According to the press service of Karabakh President, during the meeting both parties discussed the situation in the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces. Referring to the recent violation of the ceasefire by Azerbaijanis, who shot Armenian helicopter while it was on training flight on the neutral zone, President Sahakyan named Azerbaijan’s actions dastard and destructive acts. He stressed that such behavior is detrimental to the stability and peace in the region and prevent the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Bako Sahakyan underlined the need for the clear and critical assessment of Azerbaijani actions. He noted that such provocative actions will not remain unpunished.

The Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire and shot down a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Air Force helicopter on Wednesday. The chopper was downed during a training flight, and it crashed nearby the Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. As a result, three pilots are believed to have been killed: the commander of the helicopter, Major Sergey Sahakyan, the Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan, and the Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan. Information was disseminated some time thereafter, however, that a member of the helicopter crew may still be alive. The adversary, on the other hand, continues to fire intensive shots toward the crash site, thus, not allowing the Armenian side access to the area.