Azerbaijan, Baku, 22 October / Trend , corr. I.Alizade/ The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is expected to be discussed at the German Bundestag (Parliament).
"We hope the discussions will promote settling of the conflict," Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Asadov said at the meeting with Steffen Reiche, the head of Germany-South Caucasus Parliamentary Friendship Group of Bundestag, on 22 October.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and Nagorno-Karabakh's seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless negotiations.
The delegation of the fraction of the Social Democratic Party of Bundestag of Germany arrived in Azerbaijan on 22 October.
Steffen Reiche's visit aims at expanding inter-parliamentary ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
According to Asadov, several groups at the German Bundestag initiated to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh at the German Parliament.
"Nagorno-Karabakh is expected to be discussed at the German Parliament with support of several Bundestag groups," he said.
Speaker said the mutual visits between the two countries' parliamentarians contribute to enhancement of cooperation." Azerbaijan pays great attention to development of inter-parliamentary cooperation with Germany."
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