No alternative to Karabakh people's self-determination: official

PanARMENIAN.Net - Deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov met Friday, February 26 with his German counterpart Edelgard Bulmahn, the Armenian official's press office reports.

At the meeting, the parties discussed steps to enhance cooperation in the form of mutual visits by parliamentary friendship groups of both legislatures.

Dwelling upon peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, Sharmazanov said there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the self-determination of Artsakh people.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted eatlier that Germany favors intensification of the Karabakh peace talks within the OSCE Minsk Group format. Germany has assumed Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for 2016, defining “renewing dialogue, rebuilding trust, restoring security” as its top priorities.

The Armenian official further expressed hope that the Bundestag will soon adopt the Genocide bill.

The German Bundestag held a debate on the Armenian Genocide Thursday, February 25, resolving to postpone the vote for the new bill proposed by the Alliance 90/The Greens political party. The ruling coalition said it’s not the proper time to adopt the bill and proposed to continue the discussions in the coming weeks to prepare a new finalized document by April 24, 2016.

Bulmahn said, in turn, that what happened to Armenians in early 20th century was indeed genocide, adding that the Bundestag's discussions on the massacres served as a positive impetus for the process of the Genocide recognition.