Following the Presidents’ meeting in Sochi there is certain room for progress. The OSCE Minsk Group goes on working, though the Co-Chairs are often criticized by those, who are unaware of the Minsk Group’s activities, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis stated in an interview with DELFI agency.

The OSCE head stressed that the mediators’ proposal to the conflicting parties through the Russian Presidents’ mediation is a major base for progress. However, the Minsk Group will not resolve the conflict between the parties. It can offer plans to the sides, but if the parties lack political will, no one will achieve a conflict resolution, Azubalis noted.

Commenting on the response of Armenia and Azerbaijan on withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact, Azubalis said such proposals are small steps towards confidence building.

“Coincidentally, when I arrived in the region, an Azerbaijani boy was killed. Later, when I was on my way to Armenia via Georgia, an Armenian serviceman was killed. Snipers from both sides will not bring either military or political success. On the contrary, positive results will be yielded if the two sides remove snipers. I offered the sides to withdraw snipers unilaterally to set a good example, but was refused both in Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said.

The OSCE head hailed positive the Presidents’ agreement in Sochi, which envisages an international monitoring of incidents on the frontline between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces.

The Lithuanian FM stressed he asked his envoy on Nagorno-Karabakh to investigate these events. He also expressed concern that the two countries continue military build-up which indicates lack of confidence between the conflicting parties, while it is possible to hold talks in a friendly atmosphere, Azubalis underscored.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, on March 5, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Moscow through the mediation of RF President Dmitry Medvedev.

During a visit to the South Caucasus, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis called Armenia and Azerbaijan for unilateral withdrawal of snipers. The sides did not accept the OSCE head’s proposal. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said Armenia and Karabakh prefer a mutual withdrawal of snipers. However, Baku refuses to do so.