Millennium Post

Nov 27 2020

Paris: President Emmanuel Macron faces a major challenge to retain France's influence over resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, needing to take account of the large Armenian minority in his country and accused by Azerbaijan of bias.

 Macron has expressed discomfort over the Russia-brokered ceasefire this month that ended weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia and allowed Baku to consolidate significant military gains.

 France is, along with Russia and the United States, the co-chair of the Minsk Group of countries that for almost three decades have sought agreement on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan which broke away from Baku in a war as the USSR collapsed.

 "We don't consider this ceasefire to be sufficient," Macron said in a meeting with French Armenians at the weekend.

 "It does not solve the political question and all the other issues," he added.

 Macron was a vocal critic of the military offensive launched by Baku in late September to regain control of Karabakh and in particular the backing of NATO member Turkey, which he accused of despatching Syrian jihadists to fight for Azerbaijan.