PARIS (Ruptly) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday. During the press conference, the representatives of the two countries discussed the situation with Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as further plans to resolve the crisis in the region.

The French president noted that he intends to continue supporting Armenia during the de-escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the dialogue with Azerbaijan.

Translations
Provided by Ruptly.

Emmanuel Macron (French):

This administrative visit comes at a crucial moment for Armenia who is facing an important crisis which threatens its security. More than six months after the November ceasefire which brought an end to a very harsh war in Karabakh, we will go over the situation with Mr Pashinyan. Even though the ceasefire is overall respected, a lot remains to be done. France is committed to continue its support towards [local] populations.

I’m thinking of the needed release of all prisoners, whether they be war prisoners or other detainees, the lifting of access restrictions for international humanitarian organisations and the very serious issue of areas with landmines. I also want to address the very important issue of heritage protection in Nagorno-Karabakh and its surroundings whether it be Christian or Muslim heritage, it must be preserved at all costs. As a co-president of the Minsk group alongside the United States and Russia, it is France’s duty to do everything it can to help with de-escalation and dialogue.

I want to also address the recent clashes at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Like I told Mr Pashinyan and publicly on May 13, the demarcation of the border between the two countries must be done solely through a negotiation and without the use of force. The Azeri forces must leave the sovereign Armenian territory. I call on parties to go back to their (respective) positions from May 11. France is ready to help with negotiations and that of course is part of the discussion we will have together.

Nikol Pashinyan (Armenian):

France and Armenia have a special relationship, and it is very important to state that during this period the Armenian people, the Republic of Armenia, have felt, constantly felt, the support of France and the support of President Macron personally. I want to emphasise the very important fact that President Macron spoke the language of truth from the first day of the crisis, and this voice was heard all over the world. And this is very important for us. I would like to emphasise that France and President Macron continue this mission, and it is extremely important for our region to overcome the crisis. I would like to emphasise that we consider the important role of France as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country. The work of the co-chairmanship is extremely important in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and the settlement of crises in the region in the case of long-term peace and stability. I am very glad that after the end of the war, the co-chairs made three statements, in which they respectively state their mutual readiness to be involved and restore negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. And, of course, today we will discuss these possibilities. I would like to express my gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by France during this period. But we emphasise the importance of France’s economic engagement.