By a vote of 336 to 1, French Senate urges sanctions against Azerbaijan
The French Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution demanding sanctions against Azerbaijan with 336 votes in favor and one against.
The resolution, introduced on December 1, also condemned Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for preventing further attempts at aggression and violations of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.
The resolution also supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. It condemns the military attack carried out by Azerbaijan, with the support of its allies, on September 19 and 20, 2023, in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Embassy in France said.
French Senate, in a vote of 336 to 1, calls for sanctions on Azerbaijan
The resolution further calls on Azerbaijan to guarantee the right of the Armenian population to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, with conditions that will ensure their safety and well-being.
The measure calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops and its allies from the sovereign territory of Armenia.
It states that “Armenia has the right to protect its territorial integrity and possesses the means to ensure its security, including through military measures.”
The resolution also condemns the arbitrary arrests of political leaders in Nagorno-Karabakh, and calls for the exclusion of Azerbaijan from the intergovernmental committee for the protection of cultural property in armed conflict.
The measure highlights the establishment of an international group of experts at UNESCO and its mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to prepare an informative report on the state of cultural and religious heritage.
The resolution also calls for the strictest measures, including the seizure of the assets of Azerbaijani leaders and an embargo on the import of gas and oil from Azerbaijan as a sanction against military aggression by Azerbaijan.
The resolution was co-authored by the leaders of all political factions in the Senate, Bruno Ratayo, Marise Carrere, Cécile Soucierman, Guillaume Gontard, Patrick Kanner, Herve Marcel, Claude Mallure and Francois Patria, as well as the head of the France-Armenia friendship group in the Senate, Gilbert-Luc Devinaz.
The session was chaired by the vice president of the Senate, Sophie Primas. Stephane Sejourne, the newly appointed Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, was also present at the meeting.
Armenian ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajyan and Nagorno-Karabakh representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan were present at the resolution adoption session as guests of honor.