?Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) attends a welcoming ceremony hosted by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (C) in Yerevan, Armenia, Aug. 24, 2018. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would support Armenia to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully, at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Friday. (Xinhua/Gevorg Ghazaryan)
YEREVAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would support Armenia to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully, at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Friday.
"Germany is a Minsk Group member and we spoke about the fact that it is important that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved in a good atmosphere and with this regard, Germany will support Armenia," Merkel was quoted by state-run Armenpress as saying.
"I am happy to note that Germany fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and Germany and Madam Chancellor herself believe that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh can be solved only through peaceful means," Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan in turn added.
The German leader also vowed her country's support for Armenia in the process of visa liberalization by the European Union for Armenian citizens. "We will do everything in our power to make progress with this issue," Angela Merkel noted.
While answering a question regarding potential cooperation between the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the European Union (EU), Angela Merkel said that formal negotiations between EEU and EU were unlikely to take place in the near future but that "Armenia's example is evidence that such cooperation is possible," referring to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) the European bloc signed with Armenia last November.
