Germany calls for de-escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday to express concern about rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and troop movements in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to dpa.
“The German government strongly calls on the parties to refrain from any military escalation,” said Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German government, after the phone call between the two leaders.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-long dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is populated mostly by Armenians. Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only land route connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, for several months.
Analysts describe the situation in the region as catastrophic, with shortages of food and medicine, according to Agerpres.
“The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan can only be solved through diplomacy - both sides must now work without delay and in a constructive manner to achieve this goal,” Hebestreit said.
A quick agreement on humanitarian aid for the people in the region is needed, which would require the reopening of the Lachin Corridor.
The disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh elected a new separatist president on Saturday, amid rising tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Deputies from the mountainous region, which is mostly populated by Armenians but is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, elected Samvel Sharmanian, 45, the head of the separatist government’s security council, as president by a vote of 22-1.
The elections come amid growing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two rival countries in the Caucasus that have accused each other of cross-border attacks in recent months.
Armenia on Thursday accused Azerbaijan of preparing a “military provocation” by amassing troops along their shared border and near Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia will host joint military exercises with the United States next week, a sign of its efforts to distance itself from Russia, its traditional ally. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the sovereignty of the region.
The most recent war between Baku and Yerevan in 2020 ended in Armenia’s defeat, which saw it cede territory to Azerbaijan in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. The peace process has been at a standstill ever since, despite mediation efforts by Russia, a country with historical influence in the region, as well as by Europe and the United States.
