Germany says its stance on Nagorno-Karabakh 'requires enforcement of UN resolutions'
By Sara Rajabova
The German government's stance on the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires enforcement of the UN Security Council resolutions, the German embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend news agency.
Earlier, at the initiative of the embassy a statement was sent to Germany's Bundestag over an illegal visit by member of the German Bundestag committee on foreign affairs Jurgen Klimke to the Armenian-occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
On September 12, Jurgen Klimke, a Bundestag member from Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group, visited Armenia, and then headed to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without Baku's consent, and held several meetings with separatists in the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic."
The illegal visit of the German lawmaker is deemed a provocative step aimed against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
In response to the illegal move, the Azerbaijani embassy in Germany sent a letter of protest to the MP and demanded that he provide an explanation in connection with the visit. Moreover, the embassy requested that the Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group of the Bundestag state its position on the issue.
The German embassy in Azerbaijan said that the Bundestag member's visit to Nagorno-Karabakh was a private one and the German federal government was not informed about it.
"The position of the German government regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is known. According to this position, Germany recognizes neither the so-called regime on the territory of Azerbaijan nor its 'representatives'," says a statement of the German embassy in Baku issued following the MP's illegal visit.
At the same time, Bundestag member, CDU/CSU foreign affairs spokesman Philipp Missfelder sent a letter to Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany Parviz Shahbazov, expressing the position of the CDU/CSU regarding the illegal visit of the MP representing their faction to the Azerbaijani occupied territories. It says Klimke's visit to Azerbaijan's occupied territories is surprising and disappointing and it is a wrong step that communicates a wrong message.
Missfelder wrote that it would be fair for Klimke to criticize and condemn the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, recognizing the territorial integrity of the country, in line with international law.
The letter also says that the German MP's visit to Nagorno-Karabakh is a private one and it was in no way supported by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
Missfelder added that the CDU/CSU supports the official position of the German government regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"This position requires the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions. Unfortunately, these resolutions still have not been enforced," Missfelder said.
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. The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to date.
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. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.