German ambassador to Baku criticized for refusing to travel to  territories that came under Azerbaijan`s control 

ArmInfo.German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Wolfgang Manig explained the reasons for refusing to travel, as part of a group of foreign diplomats, to the territories  that came under Azerbaijani control in the zone of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  

Thus, Turan agency reports that in recent  days, a campaign of criticism has begun in the official media of  Azerbaijan against the German ambassador to Baku, as well as Berlin's  policy in general. The wave of criticism began after a number of  media outlets reported that Ambassador Wolfgang Manig did not take  part in the trips of foreign diplomats to the territories that came  under Azerbaijan's control.

Turan agency asked the German ambassador to comment on what was  happening and answer two questions:  1) Why did not the ambassador  participate in the trips of diplomats?  2) What is the current  position of Germany on the situation around the Armenian-Azerbaijani  conflict?

To the first question, the Ambassador said, "The decision whether,  when and where the Ambassador or staff of the Embassy are travelling  depends on the evaluation of all circumstances. The assessment  balances the question whether a mission will add value to the  performance of the Embassy as it is requested by the German Federal  Foreign Office and whether a mission bears security or health risks."

He answered the second question as follows: "In the last month, the  policy of the federal government towards the South Caucasus region  has been focused on stopping the escalation of the conflict between  Azerbaijan and Armenia in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

The objective of all activities of the Federal Government is to end  hostilities and to start reconciliation among Azerbaijanis and  Armenians.  The Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized his  personal engagement in his talks with his counterparts both in  Azerbaijan and in Armenia. 

The German Embassies both in Baku and Yerevan are working in this  direction - notwithstanding of trips to certain regions. The Federal  Government continues the dialogue with Azerbaijan and Armenia in this  regard - including in the frameworks of OSCE and EU. We encourage  both parties to resume their talks under the auspices of the  Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for a sustainable solution of the  conflict.