Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has met with the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairs and the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk in Vienna in order to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
During the meeting, it was noted that the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and resumption of political negotiations remain indispensable, read a message posted on the German Foreign Ministry's website Apr. 20.
Steinmeier noted that the status quo does not provide any guarantees for the future and could again lead to an escalation of the situation, Trend reports.
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 Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
