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AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 8 2013
France deems Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan: envoy
8 April 2013, 15:45 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
France has said it recognizes the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an
independent entity, but deems it a part of Azerbaijan.
French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier made the statement on
Monday when commenting on a recent report circulated in Armenian media
about the establishment of a friendship group in the French parliament
with the illegal "parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh."
The ambassador said that such an entity does not officially exist.
"This is not an official friendship group, but a personal initiative
of several members of parliament," he said.
Meunier stated that France respects freedom of expression, and
everyone has the right to freely express their thoughts.
"Though I am familiar with those who put forward the proposal about
the friendship group and respect them, this does not mean that they
represent the official position of France. This is absolutely wrong,"
Meunier noted.
He added that there is a friendship group between France and
Azerbaijan, which conducts a wide range of activities.
France is one of the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, which
is brokering the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Armenia and Azerbaijan for over two decades have been locked in
conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the
lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million
Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council
has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the
Azerbaijani territory, but Armenia has not followed them to this day.
Though a fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, a peace
accord has never been signed and the dispute remains unresolved.
Mediators from Russia, France and the U.S. -- co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group -- have been brokering peace talks over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but their efforts have not produced any
result yet.
Peace negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline
proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid
Principles, also known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a
return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a
corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all
internally displaced persons to return home.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/51869.html
April 8 2013
France deems Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan: envoy
8 April 2013, 15:45 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
France has said it recognizes the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an
independent entity, but deems it a part of Azerbaijan.
French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier made the statement on
Monday when commenting on a recent report circulated in Armenian media
about the establishment of a friendship group in the French parliament
with the illegal "parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh."
The ambassador said that such an entity does not officially exist.
"This is not an official friendship group, but a personal initiative
of several members of parliament," he said.
Meunier stated that France respects freedom of expression, and
everyone has the right to freely express their thoughts.
"Though I am familiar with those who put forward the proposal about
the friendship group and respect them, this does not mean that they
represent the official position of France. This is absolutely wrong,"
Meunier noted.
He added that there is a friendship group between France and
Azerbaijan, which conducts a wide range of activities.
France is one of the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, which
is brokering the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Armenia and Azerbaijan for over two decades have been locked in
conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the
lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million
Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of
Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council
has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the
Azerbaijani territory, but Armenia has not followed them to this day.
Though a fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, a peace
accord has never been signed and the dispute remains unresolved.
Mediators from Russia, France and the U.S. -- co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group -- have been brokering peace talks over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but their efforts have not produced any
result yet.
Peace negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline
proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid
Principles, also known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a
return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani
control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a
corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all
internally displaced persons to return home.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/51869.html