“The fierce fighting at the contact line six weeks ago  shows that the status quo is untenable in the long run,” German Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier said ahead of the meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna.

“The longer the conflict continues and the more the parties upgrade their weapons, the greater the risk of a new escalation, even a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the German FM said.

“The OSCE plays an important role in conflict resolution. France, Russia and the US have been trying for years as co-chair of the Minsk Group to consolidate the ceasefire and the resumption of the political process. Germany supports the OSCE Chairmanship with great emphasis. We are committed to ensuring that the parties move forward on the path towards sustainable conflict resolution,”reads a statement from the German Foreign Ministry.

“In our view, the aim must be that the ceasefire is respected at the contact line and strengthened, confidence-building measures are agreed so that the negotiations can resume,” he added.

“That will take time, overnight there will be no solution. This does not mean, however, that we should leave attempts to search for a solution to the conflict,” the German FM concluded.