Azerbaijan, Baku, April 8 / Trend M. Aliyev /
France recognises Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity and does not recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state. It identifies it as part of Azerbaijan, the French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monnier told media today.
He was expressing his attitude to the information on the establishment of a friendship group with the illegal "Nagorno-Karabakh parliament" at the French Parliament.
"This is not an official friendship group, but a personal initiative of several MPs," he said. "These individuals have taken this action themselves."
The ambassador stressed that such an organisation does not officially exist.
"France respects freedom of speech," he said. "Everyone has the right to freely express thoughts. Despite that, I am familiar with those who have put forward the proposal about the friendship group and respect them, but this does not mean that they represent France's official position. This is wrong."
Azerbaijan and France have a broad, active friendship group, he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.