Monday, November 23 2020 09:54

ArmInfo.The French authorities have approved and are starting to implement a program to provide broad assistance to the Armenians who have suffered from the  conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to TASS, this was announced  by an official representative of the French Foreign Ministry.

"Under the direction of French President Emmanuel Macron and Minister  for European and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, France is  starting a structured effort to provide assistance to the Armenian  population affected by the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under this  assistance system, which will be coordinated A special committee, as  well as a crisis center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will  mobilize state structures, associations of solidarity with Armenia,  humanitarian associations that are part of the Coordination Sud  organization, "the French diplomatic department said. According to  him, assistance will be provided in three areas.

As regards the first of them, the department points out that "after  the initial urgent assistance provided in recent weeks and consisting  of sending groups of surgeons and medical-surgical equipment to  Armenia, a number of flights will now be organized." The first of  such aircraft, leased by the French Foreign Ministry, "has already  arrived in Yerevan in the middle of Sunday afternoon." He delivered  emergency medical supplies, in particular a field mobile hospital for  500 people, as well as blankets and hygiene items for distribution to  victims of the conflict, as part of aid from the French authorities.

The flight of the second plane is scheduled for November 27. His  cargo "will be in addition to the previously provided state aid." It  will also be cargoes from associations of solidarity with Armenia, in  particular from the Aznavour Foundation and the Armenian Aid Fund.  The same delivery includes cargoes from humanitarian aid  organizations and funds of various companies.

The second area will be the strengthening of hospital cooperation  between the two countries, which will be launched after several  medical groups have already been sent to Armenia since October. This  cooperation will receive financial support from the French Foreign  Ministry. "The efforts of the departments of state hospitals in  Paris, Marseille and Lyon have already been mobilized in this  direction," the Foreign Ministry said in this regard.

The third direction will be "support of those projects in Armenia,  which are carried out by humanitarian organizations, as well as UN  agencies." "France will provide direct financial assistance to these  structures operating on the ground," the Foreign Ministry said in a  statement. It says that local French territorial administrative  structures have also been proposed to provide support to Armenia in  all these three areas, a number of which are already carrying out  such actions.

"This humanitarian assistance mechanism that is being created meets  the urgent requirements posed by the situation that has arisen in  recent weeks as a result of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the  same time, France is also fully mobilizing its forces to achieve a  long-term settlement of the conflict, acting in the framework of the  role that she is assigned as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, in  which she acts jointly with Russia and the United States, "the  Foreign Ministry said in a statement.