BERLIN, April 6. /TASS/. The hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone must be stopped, the situation in the region is very fragile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.

"At the moment the situation is very fragile," Steinmeier said. According to him, if the status quo is preserved, the situation could deteriorate again.

Steinmeier named a number of conditions that are necessary at this stage for de-escalating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Firstly, to agree on the long-term non-use of weapons. Secondly, to launch the process of stabilizing and confidence-building measures and thus prepare for more talks within the framework of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group regarding the future status of the region. I would like this to happen in the not so distant future," said Steinmeir who held a meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan earlier on Wednesday.

The situation along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone deteriorated dramatically on April 2, fierce clashes began. The parties to the conflict accused each other of violating the truce.