Merkel: Germany Wants to Participate in Karabakh Settlement and Supports Southern Gas Corridor

On Wednesday in Berlin, there was a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. It was followed by a press conference.

"We had an exchange of views on various topics. In particular, we spoke about the state of human rights in Azerbaijan and on the geopolitical situation in the region. We exchanged views on the Karabakh conflict. Germany also aims to become a mediator in the conflict. We believe that the Council of Europe and the European Union can take the initiative in this direction and make a contribution to resolving the conflict. In this regard, Azerbaijan will hold talks with the European Commission," said Merkel.

Responding to questions from reporters, Merkel said that "frequent violation of ceasefire, of course, is a negative fact." "I believe that a role is played by Russia. I just wanted to mention it. I think that Russia and Armenia jointly implement certain factors related to the conflict," Merkel continued.

Speaking about energy, Merkel said that Azerbaijan can make a big contribution to energy diversification in Europe. "In this sense, we support the project Southern Gas Corridor," she said.

Aliyev, in turn, noted the successful development of political relations between the two countries.

"I think that in the future German companies, contractors and investors can actively work in Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said.

"In 2012 the project TANAP started and in 2013 the TAP project was selected as the main export route for gas from Azerbaijan. Late last year, the foundation was laid of the Southern Gas Corridor.

To implement these projects Azerbaijan takes on a big financial burden, but I am sure that all the work will be done in a timely manner. The TANAP project will come on line in 2018, and TAP will be launched a year after that," said Aliyev.

He also said that in February Baku will host the first Advisory Board of the Southern Gas Corridor. -06D-