Nagorno-Karabakh is outsider of Washington Declaration -  France-Artsakh friendship circle 

ArmInfo.  Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is an outsider of the Washington Declaration. This  is stated in the statement of the France-Artsakh Friendship Circle.

The document notes that on August 8, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a  declaration of intent on a peace agreement in Washington, which is  presented as a historic event. However, behind the apparent desire to  stabilize the situation in the South Caucasus, the text ignores key  issues, which threatens the prospects for a just and lasting peace.  "The Circle welcomes the stated commitment of the Armenian  authorities to reach a peace agreement, which demonstrates a sincere  desire to open a new era for the region. However, the Circle regrets  that the declaration does not mention the right of return of Armenian  refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, victims of the ethnic cleansing  carried out by Azerbaijan in September 2023, or the release of  Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku. It also remains silent  on the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh, which is  currently under serious threat of destruction or appropriation.  Another alarming point is the joint appeal of the Armenian and  Azerbaijani ministers to the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group and  related mechanisms.  Despite the fact that the structure has been  inactive for five years, this initiative, if adopted, will finally  deprive the international community of a multilateral mechanism for  the settlement of the unresolved issues of the Karabakh conflict,"  the statement reads.

It recalls that it is also envisaged to implement the "Trump Route  for International Peace and Prosperity" project on the territory of  Armenia, including unimpeded communication between the main part of  the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic  through the territory of the Republic of Armenia. "This corridor will  connect Azerbaijan with Turkey and will certainly strengthen the  strategic positions of these two states in the region. The Circle  expresses serious concern about the risk of increasing the imbalance  of power, which is already unfavorable for Armenia. The history of  our old European continent reminds us that peace at any price is not  the best guarantee of lasting peace, and satisfying the ambitions of  the aggressor has been repeatedly refuted. If we accept this truth in  the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we must admit that it  is fully applicable to the Karabakh conflict, which, in our opinion,  was not included in the Declaration of Intent," said Francois  Pupponi, President of the Friendship Circle.