Olivier Decottignies: Peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku needed  before COP 29

ArmInfo. The talks between representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan mediated by US Secretary of  State Blinken, do not imply that EU mediation is not alive. This was stated by French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies in an interview with Hetq, in response to a question about whether   Brussels' mediation could be deemed unsuccessful, given that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently only met under the auspices of the United States.  According to him, the EU continues to  offer its services to the two parties.

"And to my knowledge, Armenia has not rejected the EU's offer. And of course, if we look back at  the negotiations and their results, the most important and effective  steps were achieved thanks to EU mediation, in particular, when the  parties met in Prague in October 2022, along with the EU and  President Macron. That is when the parties reaffirmed their  commitment to the Alma-Ata Declaration, which is crucial for  establishing a fair and lasting peace," the French diplomat said.

When asked about his attitude towards the draft peace treaty,  Decottignies noted the imperative of signing a peace treaty between  Yerevan and Baku. "It has been stated many times, including by the  Prime Minister of Armenia, that most of the agreement has already  been agreed upon by the parties. The Prime Minister of Armenia has  expressed willingness to sign what is already agreed as a basis for  an agreement, and further discussions on pending matters. Azerbaijan  has a special responsibility as it will attract a lot of  international attention while they organize COP29 (the 29th session  of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on  Climate Change). It creates special international responsibility for  them. At this stage, the main responsibility is to come to a peace  agreement with Armenia," the French Ambassador is confident.

According to him, Paris's position is clear: the conditions for a  peace agreement have already been created and the agreement must be  concluded as soon as possible. That means  before COP29.  The  Ambassador also touched upon the activities of the EU Civilian  Mission to Armenia (EUMA) and expressed surprise at the criticism of  EUMA from both Azerbaijan and Russia.  "I am quite surprised by the  criticism towards the European mission from Azerbaijan and Russia.  And quite strikingly, we hear the same words from Russia and from  Azerbaijan to the point that one wonders whether it's Russian  language translation into Azerbaijani or Azerbaijani  translated into  Russian. But if we look at the facts, the European mission has  contributed to a decrease in the number of incidents on the military  contact line. I mean real incidents, not fake news. The population of  Armenian villages near the contact line, who are exposed to the risk  of shelling and even to the risk of renewed conflict, welcome the  presence of the mission," the diplomat said, adding that France,  together with its EU partners, insisted on expanding the mission,  since their presence contributes to stability in the region.  Recalling that the number of mission personnel has doubled thanks to  the efforts of the French side, among others, he stressed that the  issue of extending the terms of their presence is being determined in  Brussels.

 When asked if the agendas of France and Armenia align on the issue  of ensuring the right of return of the people of Artsakh as  recognized by the International Court, and how he envisions its  implementation, Decottignies stated that nearly the entire Armenian  population of Nagorno-Karabakh, over 100 thousand people, was forced  to flee.

"I say "forced" to flee, because it was not a voluntary decision.  After a nine-month siege and a brutal military assault, there is no  way this could have been a decision by choice. It is especially  important that the resolution adopted by the International  Organization of Francophonie on October 5 recognized that these  people were forced to leave. The first thing, the urgent thing, which  we did immediately, and we were the first respondent country at that  time, was to help these people and assist Armenia welcoming them."  the ambassador recalled.

According to the diplomat, refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are a  vulnerable group that still needs help.  "This does not mean that we  will compromise on their right to return. Because their right to  return is not an opinion. It is an obligation, the decision of the  International Court of Justice of November 17, 2023 is mandatory for  all UN member states, including Azerbaijan. Of course, we know, and  the refugees themselves know, that the conditions currently not  conducive for that. Is there a difference in position with the  Armenian government? I don't think so. Firstly, we support the  efforts of the Armenian government to accept and integrate these  refugees. Secondly, the decision-making process by the International  Court was carried out at the initiative of the Armenian government,"  he added.

To the remark that the issue is linked to the creation of  opportunities for return, the ambassador gave an affirmative answer,  emphasizing that they are working to make that opportunity a reality.   Asked whether there has been any progress in sending a UNESCO  monitoring mission to Artsakh to prevent the destruction of Armenian  cultural heritage, Decottignies noted that the destruction of  Armenian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, be it religious sites, graves,  public buildings, ordinary houses or even neighborhoods, is a major  concern to Paris. "The French Minister of Culture was crystal clear  about that during her visit to Yerevan last year. The members of the  International Organization of La Francophonie were also clear in  their statement of October 7, 2023 regarding Armenia. UNESCO must  have access to Nagorno-Karabakh," the diplomat added.