Berlin supports current OSCE Minsk Group format
By Sara Rajabova
Germany sees no necessity for changing the current OSCE Minsk Group format, which is tasked to settle Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“As a member of the Minsk Group, Germany maintains a constant dialogue with the Minsk Group co-chairs. Together we will continue to explore how the EU can engage more effectively in order to support the efforts of the Minsk Group,” the German Foreign Ministry told Trend on February 5.
This comes after proposals raised on the expansion of the list of the Minsk Group co-chairs by inclusion of Turkey and Germany.
Some politicians have accused the Minsk Group of following unsuccessful policy regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The replacement and increase of the co-chairing countries’ number are the most commonly voiced ideas.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. However, the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far despite the efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.
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