By Rashid Shirinov

The newly-elected French president will make every effort to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully, French Ambassador to Baku Aurelia Bouchez said at a press conference on June 2.

She noted that President Emmanuel Macron realizes the value of rich bilateral ties existing between France and Azerbaijan.

Bouchez added that Macron is informed about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“He will make every effort to settle the conflict peacefully. I think his position will be aimed at the peaceful settlement of this conflict and the role of the OSCE Minsk Group in this matter,” the envoy said, stressing that the main priority is to find a peaceful solution to this problem.

France along with Russia and the U.S. is a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group established to broker a peace to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

For more than two decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevan’s aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.