ArmInfo.French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacote is surprised at how deeply the issue related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sits in Armenian society. "I'm only two months in Armenia, but during that time there were always deaths on the contact line of the troops, from the beginning of 2017 to this day, 57 people were killed in the conflict zone, which all indicates that this is not a frozen conflict.
This is a real conflict that has a serious impact on society and the government of the country, and we are concerned about this, "the ambassador said at a press conference in Yerevan on December 12.
At that, he stressed that is why France set about settling the conflict. According to him, the principle of non-use of force should be respected, since the conflict does not have a military solution, as well as the other two fundamental principles of the settlement, namely the right of peoples to self-determination and territorial integrity. Lacote stressed that it is necessary to adhere to all three principles laid down in the basis of the settlement.
At the same time, the Ambassador stated that France is committed to its intermediary obligations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and will continue to assist the parties in finding a solution to the conflict. But, he said, in this conflict France is only an intermediary, and the ways of finding a long-term and lasting peace remain for the parties.
Lacote also stated that the French leadership is closely monitoring the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone and official Paris positively regards both the past meeting of the presidents in Armenia and Azerbaijan in Geneva and the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in early 2018, most likely in January. At the same time, the diplomat found it difficult to provide details of the negotiation process, noting that he is the French ambassador to Armenia, and his mission is to inform the relevant structures of his country about the impact of the conflict on Armenian society. Lacote added that the mission for the settlement of the conflict is entrusted to another French ambassador who mediates in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.