Germany ready to contribute to peace in South Caucasus

Germany is ready to contribute to peace in the South Caucasus, the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Yerevan, Armenia…

Germany is ready to contribute to peace in the South Caucasus, the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Yerevan, Armenia.

He made the remarks at a joint briefing after meeting with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian, Deutsche Welle said Oct. 24.

Steinmeier, in particular, stressed that Germany welcomes the readiness of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents to meet in the next few days in Paris, but noted that “the first steps [for peace] will have to be made by the presidents of the two South Caucasus states.”

Earlier, French President Francois Hollande voiced an initiative to hold a meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

 

/Trend/