ArmInfo.France, of course, is ready to consider all appeals from the Armenian authorities regarding cooperation in the defense sector. The French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacote stated this.
"Of course, we must take into account some realities: France and Armenia are not members of the same military alliances. And in general, our task is not to prepare for a future war. Our role is to avoid a new conflict, accompany it in the political process, which will allow us to finally solve problematic issues in the region, "the French diplomat said in an interview with the Armenian service of Radio Liberty. Referring to criticism of Russia and accusations of inaction during the 44-day war, Lacote expressed confidence that the role of Moscow should be viewed through the prism of current realities. "Today's realities are such that Russia ensures the security of the Armenians of Karabakh. If there were no Russian troops, there would be no Armenians in Karabakh! The statement of November 9 led to a ceasefire, which is generally respected. At the same time, eight months later, we see that this statement of November 9 does not solve all problems. Some of its provisions, in particular the provision on the release of prisoners of war, are not fully observed. And in general, the statement of November 9 does not say anything about the future status of Karabakh. Thus, the statement of November 9 was a stage, but now it is necessary to strengthen peace, to start a political process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group between Armenia and Azerbaijan, "the Ambassador said.
The diplomat also touched upon the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and explained his post on Facebook regarding Yeraskh. According to him, with this post he wanted to express two things. Lacote noted that first of all he wanted to describe the existing reality, namely, that on the night from Monday to Tuesday, at 2:00 am, everyone was online, no one slept, everyone was worried in Yerevan, Armenia. "The second message is a message of solidarity. I wanted to tell people following my page that France is watching the border situation. People should be sure that the French authorities are fully aware at the highest level of what is happening on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Yeraskh is both a symbolic and strategic place. Strategically, because the border with Azerbaijan is closest to Yerevan, and symbolic, because this is the place where four states meet. Now there is tension, but we must hope that in the future Yeraskh can again become the crossroads that it used to be, "the Ambassador summed up.