German Foreign Minister: “Turmoil in Europe shouldn’t distract us from situation in Southern Caucasus”

This is the second time Steinmeier has visited Georgia this year. He first came to Tbilisi in April.

Agenda.ge, 29 Jun 2016 - 18:28, Tbilisi,Georgia

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is coming to Georgia to discuss regional and global security, migration and human rights issues at a large-scale international forum in capital Tbilisi.

The annual Parliamentary Assembly session of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), titled 25 Years of Parliamentary Cooperation: Building Trust Through Dialogue, will take place from July 1-5 at Expo Georgia Tbilisi.

Prior to the event Steinmeier made statements in support of the countries in the South Caucasus.

We must not allow the present turmoil in Europe to distract us from the situation in the Southern Caucasus,” the German Foreign Minister said.

He particularly stressed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and said this conflict had the potential to escalate at any time.

"This year, with Germany at the helm of the OSCE, it is our responsibility to contain this threat as best as possible – by consolidating the ceasefire through confidence building measures and by an imminent return to negotiations. The same is true for the territorial conflicts in Georgia,” Steinmeier stated.

By holding the annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Tbilisi, we are furthermore underscoring the importance of strengthening parliamentarianism in the OSCE.”