October 24, 2014 - 10:09 AMT
Armenian, German FMs discuss Karabakh, relations with Turkey

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he is hopeful that the upcoming meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Paris will help reach progress in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

During a joint news conference with the RA Foreign Minister in Yerevan, Steinmeier welcomed the readiness of the two leaders to meet on the initiative of French President François Hollande and voiced hope that the meeting will prove efficient.

Edward Nalbandian, in turn, emphasized that Armenia does its best for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, “however the same cannot be said about the Azerbaijani side.”

Dwelling on Armenia-Turkey relations, the German minister offered Berlin’s experience in post-war reconciliation to help forge peace a century after the Armenian Genocide.

“When it comes to the bloody history of the 20th century, in which Germany started two world wars, we should not present ourselves as the schoolmasters,” he said.

Steinmeier said Germany’s long road to partnership with France after two world wars could serve as an example following the 1915 slaughter and exile of Armenians during World War I.

“After a difficult century, we have reconciled by not keeping silent about our historical responsibility but by working through the horrific things that happened,” he said. “If our experience can be helpful, we are ready to offer it. But that must be decided here.”

Nalbandian said Armenia was ready to reduce tensions.

“Five years ago, on Armenia’s initiative, we started a process that led to the signature of the Zurich protocols — to make the normalization of our relations possible,” he said. “But Turkey is not respecting these agreements.”