German Bundestag welcoming cessation of hostilities in Karabakh for sustainable peace [UPDATE]

By Trend

The German Bundestag adopted the document supporting sustainable peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which it welcomed the cessation of military operations between Armenia and Azerbaijan from November 10, 2020, Trend reports.

The document was prepared at the suggestion of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union and Social Democratic Party of Germany factions.

In the document the Bundestag noted that the ceasefire creates an opportunity for the parties to return to the negotiating process.

It was also stressed that Germany, together with partners in the EU, OSCE, and UN, should be ready to make a greater commitment to sustainable peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The stability of the European good-neighborhood is of interest to Germany for cooperation in the political, economic, and other spheres, and for this Germany must make its contribution to the restoration of peace and security in the South Caucasus.

The document emphasized that the UN and the OSCE Minsk Group have done very little to establish sustainable peace, and a repeat of such a scenario in the OSCE space in the future is unacceptable. In this context, the OSCE Minsk Group, especially its co-chairs, in the shortest possible time should consider its failures from a critical viewpoint, identifying reasons for them.

The Bundestag pointed out that the Minsk Group’s co-chair countries are responsible for developing concepts to prevent the military escalation in the future.

“At the same time, the latest developments should be a wake-up call for the EU. Today, the EU is more responsible than ever for ensuring stability in its neighborhood,” the Bundestag further said. “The EU expressed its readiness to contribute to the agreements for a prosperous and calm South Caucasus. This could cover all activities for economic reconstruction in the conflict region in order to influence future political processes in the region.”

According to the Bundestag, the efforts of Turkey and Russia are important to ensure the peace.

Besides, the Bundestag expressed concern about the political instability in Armenia, stressing the necessity to solve the internal political crisis in a constitutional way, within the framework of democratic institutions. It called on the federal government to consider establishing a fund for the conflict region to provide assistance through international humanitarian actors such as the Red Cross or Red Crescent.

The Bundestag also proposed to consider the possibility of carrying out work for the exchange of prisoners and bodies, investigating war crimes, working with international partners to ensure the right of all refugees from Karabakh and surrounding districts to return to their homeland, and their residence in safe conditions, encouraging peaceful coexistence, and restoring civil infrastructure destroyed as a result of the hostilities.

In conclusion, the document stressed the importance of EU’s involvement in the subsequent issues.

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, Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

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