Artsakh foreign office, state minister hail French Senate`s  resolution condemning Azerbaijan`s aggressive policy towards Armenia  and Republic of Artsakh

ArmInfo.he Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has welcomed the resolution adopted by the French Senate on November 15, which condemns  Azerbaijan's aggressive policy towards Armenia and Republic of Artsakh.

An official statement reads, in particular: 

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh welcomes  the resolution adopted by the French Senate on November 15, which  condemns Azerbaijan's aggressive and Armenophobia policy towards  Armenia and Artsakh.

"The resolution reaffirms the need to recognize the Nagorno Karabagh  Republic and apply that recognition as a negotiation tool for  establishing lasting peace.

"The resolution underlines that the repeated aggressive actions of  Azerbaijan towards Nagorno Karabagh jeopardize the security and  freedom of the Artsakh Armenians.

"The Senate calls upon the French Government to do its utmost for  Azerbaijan to join immediately the negotiation process for achieving  stable peace in the South Caucasus.

"The adoption of such a substantive resolution is an important step  in political, legal and moral terms, since Azerbaijan's expansionist  and belligerent policy is a serious challenge and threat not only to  the Armenian people and Armenian statehood, but also to regional  stability and the entre civilized world.

"We express our gratitude to our friends in France for displaying an  unambiguous and principled stance."

Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan expressed his gratitude to the  French Senate. 

"Special thanks to Bruno Retailleau, Christian Cambon, Patrick  Kanner, Eliane Assassi, Herve Marseille Gilbert-Luc Devinaz for  submitting the resolution. The resolution contains wording that is  highly importance for us in terms of Artsakh's entity. It also  emphasizes that Azerbaijan does not guarantee the Nagorno-Karabakh  Armenians' security and freedom. These points are important for the  future of Artsakh and Artsakh Armenians. 

"The Artsakh Armenians' just struggle for a secure life of dignity in  their Homeland will one day achieve its goal due to the Armenian  people's determination and our friends' support," Mr Vardanyan  stated. 

France's Senate on Tuesday, by a vote of 295 to 1, adopted a  resolution that allows France to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for  its attacks against Armenia, aggression against Artsakh and called on  Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from Armenia.

The resolution also condemned Azerbaijan for its attack on Armenia's  sovereign territory in September and reaffirmed France's earlier  recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.

More than a dozen senators rose to speak in favor of the resolution,  most of issuing warning about the Turkey-Azerbaijan axis and threat  of Pan-Turkism and "neo-Ottomanism" that can plague Europe.

The resolution urges Azerbaijan to withdrawal its forces from the  sovereign territory of Armenia and to respect the territorial  integrity and sovereignty of Armenia.

It also calls for the release of all Armenian prisoners of war and  their return to the homeland. The resolution calls on the French  government to, in cooperation with European partners, undertake  diplomatic and economic measures to punish the aggression carried out  by Azerbaijan, including imposing sanctions that will target the  assets of the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as embargo on the  import of gas and oil from Azerbaijan;

The measure also reaffirms the need to recognize the Republic of  Nagorno Karabakh and suggests the government to establish a  humanitarian office in Nagorno Karabakh and suggests that the French  government to consider the possibility of supporting the  reinforcement of the defense capabilities of Armenia.

Also speaking during the debate of the resolution was Olivier Becht,  France's Foreign Trade Minister who was representing the country's  foreign minister.

In his remarks, Becht said that France had a duty to protect Armenia  and undertake efforts to end the use of force in the region. He also  said that France was one of the first countries to mobilize after the  Azerbaijani attack on Armenia on September 13. Becht also reaffirmed  France's demands on Baku to return all Armenian prisoners of war.

Ahead of Brecht, 13 senators spoke in favor of the motion. They were  the resolution's author, Bruno Retailleau, as well as Patrick Kanner,  Pierre Ouzoulias, Jacques Le Nay, Andre Guiol, Valerie Boyer, Joel  Guerriau, Guillaume Gontard, Gilbert-Luc Devinaz, Alain Cazabonne,  Etienne Blanc And Stephane Le Rudulier.