16:20,

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is visiting Armenia in a difficult period of time when the country is facing serious challenges and threats to regional security, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart.

“Today during our meeting I expressed gratitude for France’s principled positions expressed on all levels in various formats. Including in the direction of eliminating the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, and in advancing the peaceful settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing country,” FM Mirzoyan said.

FM Mirzoyan attached special importance to French President Emmanuel Macron’s involvement in establishing peace and stability in South Caucasus.

The Armenian FM said that Azerbaijan, disregarding the criticism by the international community and ignoring the February 22 ruling of the International Court of Justice, has now already officially blocked the Lachin Corridor in gross violation of the clause 6 of the 2020 trilateral statement, by installing a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor which is the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers. “This is yet another, but perhaps with its consequences an extremely dangerous and explicit violation of the trilateral statement. It is impossible not to see the real threat of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh behind the explicit calls by the Azerbaijani authorities aimed at achieving exodus in Nagorno Karabakh, the hate speech and this violation. This must be clear for the international community as well.  In this context I once again emphasize the imperative of practical steps by UN member states having international security mandate, including by ensuring the deployment of an international mission to NK and Lachin Corridor and unimpeded access of international humanitarian organizations,” FM Mirzoyan said.