Karabakh integral part of Azerbaijan :German MP

By AzerNews

Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, a German parliament member has said.

Responding to a query of the European Azerbaijan Society about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Marco Wanderwitz, who is a Bundestag member from Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group, said that if the Armenian armed forces withdraw from the occupied territories and Azerbaijan restores its territorial integrity, internally displaced persons (IDP) will be able to return to their native lands.

The issue of IDPs is a pivotal question in the peaceful resolution of the conflict, the German MP noted.

According to Wanderwitz, the foreign policy of Germany has always been based on international law, therefore, the resolutions of the UN Security Council are certainly fundamental in the country's efforts over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Regarding other issues, the German lawmaker said, "Over the years Germany and Azerbaijan have successfully cooperated in various fields, including politics, economy and culture. The same can be said about the EU, which has established ties with Azerbaijan within the European Neighborhood Policy."

According to Wanderwitz, these good relations indicate the special position of the country in the South Caucasus region.

He stressed that Germany, in view of its partnership with Azerbaijan, is interested in an early start of negotiations between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Prior to this no one should take any steps that might impede resolution of the conflict through peaceful means," Wanderwitz said.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia along with seven adjacent regions since a war fought by the two South Caucasus republics in the early 1990s. Years of OSCE-brokered peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Peace talks aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.