(28 Sep 2020) The German government said on Monday the outbreak of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan was "a very dangerous development".
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert made an urgent appeal to both Armenia and Azerbaijan "for an immediate cease-fire and to return to negotiations."
Armenia and Azerbaijani forces kept fighting Monday over the disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh after hostilities broke out the day before, with both sides blaming each other for resuming the deadly attacks.
Seibert also made a comment about the meeting between Merkel and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday evening, without citing sources, that Merkel had made a secret visit to Navalny when he was at the Charite hospital in Berlin.
Navalny on Monday confirmed reports Merkel visited him in a Berlin hospital where he was being treated for what German authorities determined was nerve agent poisoning.
Seibert also confirmed to reporters on Monday the meeting took place but disputed that it was “secret.”
Speaking about local German developments, Seibert discussed the rising number of coronavirus cases in some regions of the country and said they were causing "great concern".  
Official figures released on Monday show almost 1,192 confirmed infections in the past 24 hours.
The actual number is likely to be higher due to reporting delays over the weekend.
Seibert told reporters the number of cases in Germany has nearly tripled since June.
While some regions have seen few new cases, others, particularly large cities, have recorded a sharp jump.
Seibert warned against allowing the virus to spread "exponentially" in individual locations.
Merkel is scheduled to meet on Tuesday with the governors of Germany's 16 states to discuss the measures needed to cope with the virus going into the fall.
The country has managed better than many of its neighbours to contain the spread of the virus and keep the mortality rate low.
According to official figures, there have been 285,332 confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany since the start of the outbreak, and 9,460 deaths.

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