Azerbaijan, Baku, April 23 / Trend, E. Ostapenko /
Bavaria fully supports Azerbaijan's agreement with the updated Madrid Principles, and this is a step in the right direction, Bavarian Federal and European Affairs Minister Emilia Mueller said.
"Germany supports the peace process on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement within the OSCE Minsk Group, and we hope for resolving the conflict through diplomatic means," Mueller said today at a press conference in Baku.
According to the official, Bavaria is a state of the Federal Republic of Germany, and such matters are within the competence of the federal authorities.
"Of course, stability is necessary for economic development. We understand that in the presence of a million refugees in the country it is difficult to provide their living conditions and this creates serious difficulties for Azerbaijan," she said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.