Ms. Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke by telephone on August 15, 2023 with her Armenian counterpart, Mr. Ararat Mirzoïan, ahead of the meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be held on August 16 regarding the very serious humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the blocking of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan.
The Minister expressed France’s deep concern as the population of Nagorno-Karabakh has been suffering the consequences of this situation for more than eight months. She deplored this persistent blockage by Azerbaijan, which contravenes the commitments made under the ceasefire agreements and is detrimental to the negotiation process. She underlined that the outstanding issues can only be resolved through negotiation to achieve a just and lasting peace, as recalled by the Minister during her visits to Azerbaijan and Armenia on 27 and 28 April.
The Minister reiterated her call for the restoration of the free movement of goods, people and goods, along the Lachin corridor, in both directions, and a continuous supply of gas and electricity to the population. She recalled that Azerbaijan must comply with its international obligations, in particular to implement the provisional measures indicated by the International Court of Justice in its order of February 22, which are binding.
The Minister assured her counterpart of the full mobilization of France in support of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which will pay an additional contribution of 3 million euros to the humanitarian action of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Finally, the two Ministers also mentioned the shootings that occurred today at the Armenian border during a patrol of the EU observation mission (EUMA). The Minister expressed her concern at these incidents and gave her full support to the European mission.
This article is originally published on diplomatie.gouv.fr
