Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 19
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
France supports Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, said Aurelia Bouchez, French ambassador, speaking to reporters Nov. 19.
"The position of France is clear: France supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh", she said commenting on the 16th European telethon, held by the French office of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.
Ambassador Aurelia Bouchez has also mentioned the Minsk Group and the role of the co-president Ambassador Pierre Andrieu, and the summit of 27 October in Paris.
It was earlier reported that all the funds collected during the telethon, held under patronage of the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, will be used to construct community centers in the Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
"Despite that the mayor of Paris is realizing this project it doesn't reflect the position of France," said Bouchez. "There is no reason to talk about double standards."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.