If there were no Russian troops, there would be no more Armenians in Karabakh – French Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte
French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte called for the resumption of negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the determination of its status, and also commended Russia for its role in the region.
In an interview with RFE / RL’s Armenian-language service (Radio Azatutyun), the French diplomat said that today Russia is providing security for the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“If there were no Russian (peacekeeping) troops there would be no Armenians in Karabakh now,” the diplomat said.
According to him, the declaration of November 9, 2020 (signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan to end all hostilities in the conflict zone) resulted in the ceasefire, which is generally observed, but eight months later it is obvious that this document does not solve all the problems.
“Some of its provisions, in particular, on the release of prisoners of war (detained in Azerbaijan) are not fully respected. And in general, the declaration of November 9 says nothing about the future status of Karabakh. The declaration was a However, it is now necessary to strengthen the peace, ceasefire regime and launch a political process between Armenia and Azerbaijan under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group “, said Jonathan Lacôte.
The Ambassador also underlined the fact that after the last autumn war in Karabakh, Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan extended by several hundred kilometers.
In his own words, the whole Karabakh issue has not been resolved. “Therefore, we are in favor of starting a political process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the co-chairs of the Minsk group are called to support. At present, the OSCE Minsk Group is the only body recognized by all parties dealing with these issues, ”the ambassador said.
According to him, the best guarantee of security for Armenia and the region is the settlement of these points through negotiation.
The French ambassador also explained the refusal of his colleague in Azerbaijan to visit the city of Shushi (now controlled by Azerbaijan) with several dozen foreign diplomats, organized by Baku on July 9 and 10.
“The reality is that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be determined through negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. Until this status is determined, neither the French Ambassador in Baku nor the French Ambassador in Yerevan can travel to Karabakh. In Baku, my colleague does not go to Shushi, nor do I go to Stepanakert, “the ambassador explained.
He added that all the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group (USA, Russia, France) adhere to this position.
by Jean Eckian on Friday July 23, 2021
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