OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is being on a three-day visit to the South Caucasus region he is traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Before his departure, Steinmeier said that despite much turbulence in Europe, one must not lose sight of the situation in the South Caucasus. "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict risks to re-escalate at any time," said Steinmeier. "As Chair of the OSCE, we have the responsibility to hedge this risk as far as possible." Steinmeier believes that putting an end to ceasefire violations is through confidence-building measures and negotiations.
Steinmeier also stressed that the settlement of territorial conflicts in Georgia has to remain high on the agenda. He commented on the Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, taking place in Tbilisi on July 1-5, saying "By speaking at the opening session of the Parliamentary Assembly I wish to underline our support to strengthening parliamentarianism in the OSCE area."
"No one is interested in large-scale war in the region. Peace and stability are in everyone's interest both from the humanitarian perspective and from the point of view of the national interests of the three countries," the Spokesperson said.
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