Foreign Minister Steinmeier met with the Co‑Chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday, 23 June. They discussed the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict in the South Caucasus. The men renewed their call for a sustainable ceasefire and a return to political negotiations.

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Efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict

The OSCE plays a central role in the efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict. As the current OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office, Germany’s Foreign Minister Steinmeier is assisted on this issue by Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson‑in‑Office on the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict. The Minsk Group, which concerns itself with the conflict, has existed since 1994. The Group is co‑chaired by the US, Russia and France. In addition to Germany, the Group’s permanent members include Belarus, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Ceasefire and political negotiations

At this meeting in Berlin, Foreign Minister Steinmeier came together with the Group Co‑Chairs and Ambassador Kasprzyk. The Co‑Chairs reported on the results of the summit meeting between the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in St Petersburg on 20 June. Their decision to deploy additional international observers in the conflict zone was also discussed. The talks also served the goal of coordinating possible further steps towards settling the conflict, also with a view to Foreign Minister Steinmeier’s upcoming visit to the region.

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The participants agreed that a sustainable ceasefire and a return to political negotiations remain indispensable. The German Government will continue to support the mediation efforts of the Minsk Group and its Co‑Chairs in the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict as part of Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship.