Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia, met with Gernot Erler, Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany for the OSCE Chairmanship, member of the Bundestag, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to exchange views on the recent activities of the OSCE’s German Chairmanship, developments in the Eastern Partnership countries, Central Asia and Russia, and the role of the OSCE in the settlement of conflicts in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh.

They also addressed ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the OSCE’s vital role in this regard. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasized that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh can significantly influence security and stability in the region, and achieving its settlement could become a vital issue in discussions on the future of the OSCE.

Gernot Erler recognized that stopping the escalation of the conflict emerges as an urgent priority on the agenda of Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship and noted that Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group representing France, the Russian Federation and the USA, who have committed themselves to hold consultation with parties to the conflict in the near future, will play a decisive role.