ArmInfo.It's time to achieve progress and to find ways for resolving the Karabakh conflict, French President Francois Hollande said at a dinner party held in honor of his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
President Hollande noted that the talks have been held for 23 years, but the parties have come to no results. "There is nothing worse than the status quo. The events in April 2016 and the clashes a few weeks ago demonstrate that the conflict has never stopped. You know how many efforts France is exerting together with the Russian and US Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. I told this to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who paid a visit to Paris a few days ago, and now I'd like to reiterate this to you: this conflict cannot be resolved in a military way. France, Russia and the U.S. will keep exerting intermediary efforts with due regard for the principles of territorial integrity, peoples' right to self-determination, and non-use of force. France is willing to provide its support in every possible way," Azeri media quote Hollande as saying.
At the same time, the French President calls for resuming the Karabakh peace talks. "We want the talks to be resumed. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, we want the other co-chairs - the United States and Russia - to also contribute to this process. We think the parameters are clear and it is possible to find a solution to this protracted conflict," he said.