TASS, November 13. France is ready to provide its assistance in building a lasting and just solution for all parties involved in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the press service of French President Emanuel Macron reported.
The presidential press office reported in a statement early on Friday that President Macron held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The president has expressed his content in regard to the ceasefire regime, reiterated his friendship with Armenia and also stated his readiness to find a just and lasting political solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which will be acceptable for all parties involved, according to the statement.
Reuters quoted the French president’s press office statement: "The President expressed his satisfaction with the end of the fighting, recalled his friendship for Armenia and its people as well as his readiness to build a fair, lasting and acceptable political solution for all parties in Nagorno-Karabakh."
On September 27, the press service of the Armenian government stated that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with French President Macron discussing developments in Nagorno-Karabakh. "President Macron expressed profound concern over the current situation and said that further escalation of tension is inadmissible," the press service of the Armenian government reported at that time.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, that took effect at midnight Moscow Time on November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would retain the positions they had held and that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier that an overall number of 1,960 personnel, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 motor and special vehicles were set be airlifted for deploying the peacekeeping contingent in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area.
The Russian peacekeepers’ command was reported to be stationed in Stepanakert to exercise command and control of the peacekeeping operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area.
The Russian command also established continuous interaction with the General Staffs of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces through direct communication channels for accomplishing peacekeeping tasks, preventing possible incidents and providing for the peacekeepers’ security.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians. Baku and Yerevan have reached three truce agreements so far but each one of them failed almost immediately with both sides trading accusations of violating the ceasefires.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.