Merkel: Karabakh sides should return to negotiating table![]() September 29, 2020 - 17:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach an immediate ceasefire and return to the negotiating table. Merkel has discussed the recent flare-up in Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the phone. According to a statement posted on the German government website, the Chancellor has cited the OSCE Minsk Group as offering an appropriate format for negotiations. Azerbaijan launched a major offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. ![]() ![]() The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, have arrived in Washington. The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. ![]() ![]() Partner news | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |