A member of the Bundestag from the CDU faction, chairman of the 'Germany — South Caucasus' parliamentary group, Karin Shtrents, as well as the co-chair of of this group, deputy Johannes Kars, (SPD) in a joint statement received by the editorial board of Vestnik Kavkaza, expressed their deep concern over the outbreak of violence observed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The statement stressed that violence in Nagorno-Karabakh has reached a new level of escalation, and it must be stopped soon. "Any exchange of fire, any injury and lost human life taken by the conflict, is an unforgivable loss," they pointed out.
"This year Germany has received a great chance to make a purposeful contribution to resolve the dramatic situation in the conflict region, and the recent devastating battles showed the urgent need for this," the statement says.
"The fact that Azerbaijan unilaterally ceased hostilities can be estimated only positively, and we hope that this will help to ease the current situation. Now the ceasefire regime should be strictly adhered to by both parties," the joint statement by the Bundestag deputies says.
"The achievement of sustainable settlement of this 'frozen' conflict after a truce should be the main goal," Johannes Kars notes. He urges the German Foreign Ministry and its Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to show the initiative needed for this.
Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.
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% 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 US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
