Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Europe and Russia must work with Armenia and Azerbaijan to reduce the cases of escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area.

German Bundestag member Albert Weiler made the remark while talking to "Armenian News" web site.

The German parliamentarian recalled that following the April escalation, the worst since the ceasefire deal signed in 1994, Germany, as the OSCE chairing country, held talks with the representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia and that allowed to easing tension.

The politicians in Germany, and he personally, are trying to hold dialogue with both parties to find a joint solution, Weiler added.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier had repeatedly stated that Germany favors the intensification of the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

However, there are not any firm actions yet neither from Germany, nor the Minsk Group co-chairing countries.

The OSCE Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, works to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades, but in vain.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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