French Ambassador: We facilitate negotiations between Armenia and  Azerbaijan, but do not conduct direct negotiations with the parties

ArmInfo.We should remember an important circumstance, that we, as the international community, are mediators in resolving the situation in the zone of the Nagorno-  Karabakh conflict. Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot   stated this on May 10 at a press conference in Yerevan dedicated to  the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations  between Armenia and the European Union, referring to the statement of  the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia on lowering the bar on  the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

"We are facilitating the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  We are not negotiating directly with anyone, and we are not supposed  to make any proposals. We can help to put these proposals on the  negotiating table. We can also help implementation of the results of  these negotiations, but we are not empowered to directly make  proposals," Anne Louyot  said.

While EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin once again reminded  that they are just mediators who do not delve into the content of the  negotiations. " Negotiations are between the warring parties, but, of  course, there must be a compromise. I can only add that there are  clear statements that we attach great importance to the statement of  the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia on April 30," Wiktorin  summed up.

In his turn, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Paruyr  Hovhannisyan assured that it is in fact about another important  component, security. According to him, it was not about the right of  peoples to self- determination, but first of all about the importance  of paying attention to security issues. "And this lies at the basis  of the negotiations, which are facilitated by the EU," the Armenian  diplomat said, recalling that the RA Prime Minister touched on this  issue in detail.

It should be noted that speaking on April 14 in parliament, Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said the following: "Today the  international community tells us again: lower your bar a little on  the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and you will have greater international  consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh. Otherwise, please don't  place your hopes on us, not because we don't want to help you, but  because we can't help you."

After this statement by Pashiyan, a meeting of the Security Council  was convened in Artsakh. There was also a meeting of the NKR  President with NGOs that requested a meeting against the backdrop of  Pashinyan's statements.

Moreover, on April 14, the Artsakh Parliament issued a statement in  which they demanded that the Armenian authorities reconsider their  "disastrous position." "We demand that the Armenian authorities  change their current disastrous position.... No government has the  right, under the pretext of peace, to lower the bar of negotiations  and agree to the unacceptable status of Artsakh," they noted.