Azerbaijan has to date violated its commitments under international agreements thereby staining the reputation of the mediator states and their leaders, which has at last caused the OSCE Minsk Group to pass from declarations to practical steps, Armenian Parliament Vice-Speaker of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) told Armenian News-NEWS.am as he commented on the OSCE Minsk Group`s statement on investigations into incidents on the line of contact.

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have come to realize the need for concrete steps. Otherwise, the OSCE Minsk Group member-states` international reputation is damaged," Nikoyan said. He welcomes the OSCE MG`s prompt response to the Sochi statement by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents. Nikoyan stressed that Azerbaijan`s ceasing to employ snipers on would be a great achievement of international investigations into incidents on the line of contact. He stressed that the Co-Chairs` decision on investigations was indirect pressure on Baku as it is Azerbaijan that violates ceasefire.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued a statement instructing Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk to prepare for investigations into ceasefire violations on the line of contact, under the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential statement approved in Sochi. The Co-Chairs are to visit the region to discuss the issues next week. Official Yerevan has welcomed the Co-Chairs` initiative.