FRANCE INTERESTED IN RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT WITHIN SHORTEST
TERM

YEREVAN, JANUARY 28. ARMINFO. France is interested in resolution of
the Karabakh problem within the shortest term and is ready to do
everything possible for it, French co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group on
settlement of Karabakh conflict, Bernard Fassier says at a
press-conference in Baku.

<France is a friend of both Azerbaijan and Armenia,> Fassier says,
adding that French-Armenian friendship is well-known, while still much
is not known about French-Azerbaijani friendship. In this connection,
he brought several examples confirming the existence of
French-Azerbaijani friendship. At the same time, Bernard Fassier says
that Minks Group and its co-chairs cannot solve the problem instead of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, they can only contribute to establishment of a
dialogue between the governments of the two states. The OSCE Minsk
group is accused of doing nothing for 10 years, it is wrong, he
says. The co-chairmen cannot say anything concerning liberation of any
region of Azerbaijan this year, it is the governments that are to make
such decisions. The French diplomat says that together with his US and
Russian colleagues, he will meet the leadership of Azerbaijan
today. As regards the resolution of PACE on Karabakh, he says that the
document was not adopted by European states, but by their parliaments.

The diplomat says he was appointed to the post of OSCE MG co-chairman
by the French Government on January 1, 2005. He told that he served in
the Armed Forces as an officer for 25 years and than started his
diplomatic service. He has been engaged in diplomacy for some 20
years. The guest notes that he was in Baku yet in the Soviet period of
time, this visit to Azerbaijan is the first in the period of the
country’s independence. He is well-informed of the South Caucasus and
Karabakh problem as since joining the French Foreign Service in 1987
he has held the position of Vice Director for the USSR (1987-1990),
and has worked for the French Embassies in Switzerland (1990-1993) and
Georgia (1993-1997). Senior Deputy High Representative and Head of the
Rule of Law unit Ambassador Bernard Fassier joined the OHR in August
2002. Ambassador Fassier’s most recent appointment was as the French
Ambassador to Belarus (1997-2002). Fassier says he held posts which
to some extent prepared him for his current position. During his work
in Georgia, he coordinated distribution of humanitarian aid by the EU
for the South Caucasian states.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress