Germany favors intensification of talks on settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group format, German Foreign Minister said in an interview with Interfax.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who currently chairs the OSCE, expressed reluctance over accepting the fact that the conflict is characterized as frozen, adding that armed clashes along the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan stir serious concern.

Creating a mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations would be an important step forward, Steinmeier stressed.

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.