At 4:21 pm the Azerbaijani armed forces again violated the ceasefire regime in the direction of the villages of Khnapat and Farukh of Artsakh’s Askeran region, the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh reported.
Three mortar shells were fired in the direction of Khnapat village, and two mines fell in the territory of Farukh village.
There were no casualties.
ArmInfo. Armenia and Qatar have signed a memorandum of cooperation, RA Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan reported in a Facebook post. Mr Kerobyan is on a working visit to Qatar.
Mr Kerobyan, accompanied by Minister of Municipality of Qatar Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, participated in the opening ceremony of the AgriteQ 2022 exhibition. Armenia has its pavilion at the exhibition.
After singing the Armenian products, the sides discussed food safety issues and the possibility of Qatari investments in Armenia.
Mr Kerobyan invited Qatari officials to Armenia to study the investment potential of the country’s agricultural sector.
In the first half of 2021, Armenia’s exports to Qatar totaled $314,400, a 68.5% year-on-year decline. Sheep and goats constituted 92.4% of Armenia’s exports to Qatar.
Armenia’s imports from Qatar totaled $68,500, a 71.7% year-on-year decline. Polyethylene constituted 93% of Armenia’s imports from Qatar
Azerbaijan’s provocations are aimed at psychologically intimidating the peaceful population – Artsakh’s President
19:51,
YEREVAN, 10 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. On March 10, President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan chaired an extended meeting of the Security Council.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Artsakh President’s Office, security-related and humanitarian issues were on the discussion agenda. The Head of the State
highlighted that the damaged section of the gas pipeline is located next to the adversary’s position, and the Azerbaijani side has been obstructing the renovation activities for three days without any justification.
“There is no doubt that both the damage to the gas pipeline and the delays in the repair works, as well as the aggressive behavior towards the peaceful population of Artsakh in recent days, have a geopolitical context. In particular, Azerbaijan is trying to take advantage of the situation around Ukraine and the involvement of international actors. Official Baku is resorting to obvious provocations aiming at psychologically intimidating the peaceful population of the country and, thus, evicting Armenians from Artsakh. Stay assured, that the Artsakh authorities are working at all levels to prevent security and humanitarian problems, and to improve the situation. Therefore, I urge everyone to remain calm, to refrain from excessive escalation of the situation and irresponsible actions”, said President Harutyunyan, and instructed the executive authority officials to take relevant measures to ensure the security and normal life of the population.
Thursday,
Russian FM Meets Armenian, Azeri Counterparts
Turkey - Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia and Sergei Lavrov of
Russia meet in Antalya, Mar10, 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held on Thursday separate talks with his
Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts on the sidelines of an international
security conference in Turkey.
Lavrov discussed with them the implementation of Russian-brokered agreements to
ease tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and unblock transport links
between the two South Caucasus nations.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov agreed to speed up preparations for the second session
of a multilateral platform meant to promote peace and economic cooperation in
the South Caucasus. The platform comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey
and Iran.
Lavrov’s talks with Bayramov and Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan followed an upsurge
in ceasefire violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as well as in
Nagorno-Karabakh where several villages were shelled by Azerbaijani forces in
recent days. Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Karabakh reportedly
intervened in to prevent a further escalation of the tensions.
“We haven’t seen each other in a while, and a lot has accumulated,” Mirzoyan
told Lavrov at the start of their meeting held in the Turkish resort city of
Antalya.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said he briefed Lavrov on the consequences of
Azerbaijan’s “provocative actions” and called for “necessary steps to ease the
tensions and prevent incidents” in the conflict zone.
The two ministers agreed on the need to restart Armenian-Azerbaijani
negotiations on a “comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,” the ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov and Mirzoyan also discussed Russian-Armenian “allied relations” and ways
of “further reinforcing” them, added the statement.
In his opening remarks publicized by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov
stressed the importance of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s official visit to
Moscow scheduled for the beginning of next month.
“I am confident that it will help to further advance our allied relations,” he
said.
Dashnaktsutyun Eyes Renewed Anti-Government Protests
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Dashnaktsutyun party leaders Armen Rustamian (left) and Hagop Der
Khatchadurian hold a news conference in Yerevan, .
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) signaled on Thursday its
readiness to launch a more broad-based opposition movement and street protests
aimed at toppling Armenia’s government.
Leaders of the opposition party accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s
administration of planning to make sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan and Turkey
that would threaten the very existence of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
“This resistance must be directed at those who try to lead us to vital
concessions with false pacifist calls,” said Armen Rustamian, a member of
Dashnaktsutyun’s new governing Bureau elected during a party congress held in
Yerevan.
The weeklong congress brought together senior members of the party’s branches in
Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora. A statement adopted by it says that
Dashnaktsutyun must be ready to play a “decisive” role in the fight for regime
change.
Dashnaktsutyun is now affiliated with the opposition Hayastan bloc led by former
President Robert Kocharian. The bloc finished second in the snap parliamentary
elections held last June.
Speaking at a joint news conference, Rustamian and the Canadian-Armenian head of
the Bureau, Hagop Der Khatchadurian, gave no indications that Dashnaktsutyun is
considering leaving Hayastan.
Still, they said they are open to cooperating with more opposition forces that
share their concerns about “existential” threats facing Armenia. They also made
a case for new methods of political struggle against Pashinian’s government,
notably street protests.
Hayastan already announced in November the start of a “nationwide resistance”
campaign during a rally in Yerevan. But it has staged no further protests since
then.
Kocharian said in December that despite what he sees as a sharp drop in
Pashinian’s approval ratings Armenians are still not willing to attend
anti-government demonstrations in very large numbers. The ex-president stood by
his view at a news conference held last month.
Rustamian seemed to acknowledge that opposition groups need more time to
generate a strong protest movement.
“The people do not feel an existential danger,” he said. “I’m sure that as soon
as the people feel that existential danger they will fill the streets. This is
why the authorities are doing everything to keep the people in the dark.”
New Armenian President Hopes For Quick End To War In Ukraine
• Nane Sahakian
People evacuate from Irpin, near Kyiv, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine
continues, March 9, 2022.
President-elect Vahagn Khachatrian stuck to Armenia’s cautious position on
Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, expressing hope that it will end soon.
The Armenian government has not condemned the Russian invasion, underscoring its
close political, military and economic ties with Moscow. It abstained last week
from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate
withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on March 3 that Yerevan is “deeply saddened”
by the war and hopes that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations “will produce results.”
Khachatrian, who will be sworn in as Armenia’s new, largely ceremonial head of
state on Sunday, echoed this stance before attending his last cabinet meeting in
his capacity as minister of high-technology industry.
“We all should hope and do everything so that this war ends as soon as
possible,” he told journalists. “We know very well what it means.”
Khachatrian would not be drawn on economic consequences of the West’s crippling
sanctions against Russia. He said only that their precise impact on Armenia is
difficult to predict at the moment.
Armenia - Vahagn Khachatrian, March 2, 2022.
“We just need to prepare our system, especially the financial system,” added the
62-year-old economist elected as president by the Armenian parliament last week.
The government and businesses should not brace themselves for a worst-case
scenario, he said.
Russia is Armenia’s number one trading partner and export market.
Russian-Armenia trade totaled $2.6 billion last year.
Officials in Yerevan admit that the Western sanctions will likely hit hard
Armenian exports to Russia as well as remittances sent home by Armenians working
there. They also expect a further surge in food prices in Armenia.
The South Caucasus country imports a large part of its wheat, cooking oil and
other basic foodstuffs from Russia.
Karabakh Civilian Wounded In Azeri Shelling
• Susan Badalian
• Gayane Saribekian
Nagorno-Karabakh - A sign outside the village of Khramort.
Azerbaijani forces continued to shell a village in eastern Nagorno-Karabakh on
Thursday, wounding one of its residents and causing others to flee their homes.
The village of Khramort came under mortar fire for the fourth consecutive day.
According to the authorities in Stepanakert, Azerbaijani troops also fired
mortars towards several other Karabakh villages and adjacent farmland on
Wednesday.
Suren Baghrian, a 51-year-old Khramort farmer, was wounded in the back when a
mortar shell landed near his house in the morning. The explosion was caught on a
camera of the Armenian TV station Fifth Channel.
“I was working in my courtyard,” Baghrian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service from a
hospital later in the day.
Another Khramort resident, Hasmik Andrian, said most local women and children
were evacuated from the village overnight because of intensifying gunfire from
nearby Azerbaijani army positions.
“But men remain in the village at the moment,” she said. “We must hold out as
much as we can.”
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, meanwhile, that Armenian forces continued
to fire at its troops deployed in the Aghdam district east of Karabakh. It
earlier denied targeting civilians.
For their part, the Karabakh authorities insisted that Baku stepped up truce
violations as part of its efforts to spread panic among Karabakh Armenians and
depopulate the disputed territory.
Karabakh’s Security Council said it is “cooperating” with Russian peacekeeping
forces to try to prevent more Azerbaijani “provocations.” “Urgent measures are
being taken to force the enemy to honor ceasefire agreements,” it added in a
statement.
Armenian media cited a Karabakh official as saying that the peacekeepers rushed
to Khramort and set up two monitoring posts there early on Thursday.
In what may have been a related development, gas supplies from Armenia to
Karabakh were cut off on Monday night after a pipeline passing through
Azerbaijani-controlled territory was knocked out by an apparent explosion.
The gas supplies have still not been restored. Officials in Stepanakert have
accused the Azerbaijani side of blocking repairs on the damaged section of the
pipeline.
Tensions have also risen along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. One Armenian
soldier was killed and another wounded there on Monday.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian mentioned the escalation on Thursday at
the start of a weekly session of his cabinet on Thursday. But he avoided
condemning Baku.
“Let us not make evaluations at this point. We will just note this situation and
try to focus on ways of solving problems,” Pashinian said, adding that Yerevan
is now “working with the Karabakh authorities and international partners” to try
to ease the tensions.
France’s Macron Vows Closer Ties With Armenia
France - French President Emmanuel Macron greets Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian at the Elysee Palace, Paris, March 9, 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged to increase economic aid
to Armenia and deepen broader French-Armenian relations in the face of what he
called destabilizing effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Macron denounced Moscow’s “historical revisionism” and “imperial dreams” as he
addressed a French-Armenian cooperation forum in Paris after holding talks with
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
The two leaders made a joint appearance at the concluding session of the daylong
event organized by their governments.
“What is happening in Ukraine today is not without consequences for the rest of
the region and not without consequences for Armenia,” Macron declared in his
speech. “So we are extremely vigilant about that.”
“As this war unleashed by Russia is destabilizing your immediate neighborhood,
Mr. Prime Minister, I also want to communicate to you France’s commitment to
bring peace to Ukraine and to continue encouraging lasting stability in the
Caucasus,” he told Pashinian, whose country remains Russia’s closest regional
ally.
Armenia has not condemned the assault on Ukraine or joined the Western sanctions
against Russia. The South Caucasus state’s heavy dependence on Moscow for
defense and security has deepened further after its defeat in the 2020 war with
Azerbaijan.
French President Emmanuel Macron holds video conference with Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European
Council President Charles Michel, 4Feb2022
Macron mentioned the six-week war and said the conflict in Ukraine “must not
make us forget” other international hotspots such as Nagorno-Karabakh. France,
he said, will continue to press for the release of Armenian prisoners of war
still held by Azerbaijan, support the opening of Armenian-Azerbaijani transport
links and strive for a comprehensive resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
According to an Armenian government statement, the conflict was high on the
agenda of Pashinian’s talks with Macron held earlier in the day. The Armenian
premier was reported to blame Azerbaijan for recent days’ upsurge in truce
violations in Karabakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which left one
Armenian soldier dead.
Macron spoke of “worrying events” in the conflict zone in his in his speech at
the Paris forum held days after the official start of his reelection campaign.
Armenia - Armenian President Armen Sarkissian meets with Valerie Pecresse, a
Fench presidential candidate and head of Ile de France region, December 21, 2021.
The first round of France’s tightly contested presidential elections is slated
for April. Macron and other major presidential candidates are seen as vying for
the votes of France’s influential Armenian community. Two of them, conservative
politician Valerie Pecresse and far-right commentator Eric Zemmour, visited
Armenia late last year.
Macron said that the French-Armenian forum marks “the start of a process that
will reinforce our bilateral cooperation, our commitment to Armenia and our will
to work together.” The two governments have worked out a “French-Armenian
economic roadmap” for the next five years and are also planning more joint
projects that will benefit Armenia’s public infrastructures, healthcare system
and cultural and historical heritage, he said.
Macron also announced that the French government will set up a special fund for
wide-ranging assistance to Armenia. He urged French regions and charities to
contribute to the fund.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
PanARMENIAN.Net – The Azerbaijani military on March 9 evening and the next morning targeted and damaged a tractor parked in the Nagorno-karabakh village of Nakhijevanik.
According to a statement from the Karabakh Prosecutor General’s office, the residents have moved the equipment to a safer place now.
The news comes amid growing tension in Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s continuous ceasefire violations on the contact line. In one such incident, a civilian was injured when a shell landed and exploded in his backyard on Thursday.
PanARMENIAN.Net – The Security Council of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has denied reports coming from Azerbaijan and alleging that the Russian peacekeeping contingent is withdrawing part of its forces from Karabakh and relocating them to Ukraine.
The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation stationed in Artsakh continues to carry out its mission, in accordance with the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the Security Council said in a statement on Thursday, March 10.
“The aggressive behavior of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact in recent days has been manifested by shelling of the positions of the Artsakh Defense Army located near various settlements,” the statement read.
The use of mortars has already been added to such armed provocations. We emphasize that the target of hostile actions is the civilian population, which is done in order to cause panic,” the message says.
The statement came amid Azerbaijan’s ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh, which left one civilian injured on Thursday. According to Armenian Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan, Baku has also accumulated tanks near the village of Khramort, after intimidating the residents for weeks on end.
Armenia’s former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan has shared a photo showing illegal deployment of Azerbaijani forces on the Kapan-Chakaten road.
“This is the unlawful Azerbaijani military deployment on the main Kapan-Chakaten road; because of the so-called customs and border control installed in November 2021, the main road has been completely blocked,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
The road is of strategic and vital significance for the whole Kapan community in terms of security. It connects the town of Kapan with the villages of Chakaten, Srashen, Shikahogh, Nerkin Hand, Tsav and Shishkert. Syunik Airport in Kapan is in the immediate vicinity of this road, the ex-ombudsman underscored.
“Moreover, the so-called alternative road passes directly under the Azerbaijani deployment without security guarantees,” he noted
“The deployment of Azerbaijani troops in these areas poses a direct threat primarily to Kapan, as well as the whole country, to the life and security of the entire population. They have other deployments and have completely disrupted the normal life of people.
“Any Azerbaijani armed presence near our villages or on community roads has no legal basis, and is completely unlawful,” Tatoyan said.
ArmInfo.At a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Armenia’s Premier Nikol Pashinyan spoke, among other things, of the damage of the gas main supplying gas to Artsakh.
“In recent days we have recorded escalation, particularly in Artsakh, and the damage of the gas main is evidence thereof. At present, however, I am abstaining from any further assessments, as we are working with the Artsakh authorities and our international partners to stabilize the situation. That is, we are not making assessments now, but we are just recording the situation and focusing on solving the problem,” the premier said.
On March 8, the gas main supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged, and gas supply was stopped. Azerbaijan is putting obstacles to the repair work being carried out by the ArtsakhGas company. The Artsakh population has not been supplied with gas for the third day. The suspicion exists that Azerbaijani troops damaged the gas main on purpose.
16:36, 9 March, 2022
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. On March 9, around 14:00-14:30, the Azerbaijani military violated the ceasefire in Artsakh, again firing 60mm mortars, the Artsakh authorities said.
The Azerbaijani forces fired 4 mortar shells from positions deployed in the direction of the Khnushinak village of Martuni region, Artsakh.
There are no victims from the Armenian side, the Artsakh authorities said.
17:05, 9 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. France wants to strengthen its relations with Armenia, help Armenia to further develop, to open itself to the world, Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot said in an interview with ARMENPRESS on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and France, emphasizing the importance of the Armenian-French relations for the two countries.
Ambassador Anne Louyot has been working in Armenia for only six months, but she has already managed to love our country. “Armenia is one of my favorite countries in the world”, she says.
Noting that Armenia has faced many difficult challenges recently, the French Ambassador stressed that Armenia is also a country of great opportunities, and her role is to mobilize all actors in French-Armenian relations so that Armenia opens up to the world and faces its future more positively.
– Hello, Madam Ambassador. Thank you for the unique opportunity to interview you. After the end of Jonathan Lacôte’s mission, you have been the Ambassador of France to Armenia since September 2021. How did these 5-6 months go? How do you feel in Armenia? I wonder what you knew about our country before being appointed Ambassador, what new things did you learn?
– Hello, thank you for this opportunity to talk to you about the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-French diplomatic relations. During these six months I have learned a lot about Armenia, I can say that Armenia is already one of my favorite countries in the world. Armenia has faced many difficult challenges, but it is also a country of great opportunities. My role here is to mobilize all the actors in the Armenian-French relations to help Armenia open up more and face the future more positively.
– Here, during the event held at the embassy on February 24, you stressed in your speech that many prominent figures symbolize the centuries-old Armenian-French friendship, mentioning particularly two of them: World War II hero Missak Manouchian and Admiral Louis Dartige du Fournet, commander of the French navy that saved the population of Musaler (Musa Dagh). I wonder who you will mention in this series besides them.
– Thank you for this question. Yes, I talked about Missak Manouchian, and Dartige du Fournet, one of the heroes of Musa Dagh’s self-defense, but, of course, there are many other symbolic figures in that line. I can not fail to mention Charles Aznavour, who has a very important role in the Armenian-French relations. In addition to being a great French artist of Armenian descent, Charles Aznavour has also played a major role in Armenia since the 1988 earthquake. I can also mention many other French-Armenian artists, for example, the famous photographer Antoine Agoudjian or actors, film directors such as Serge Avédikian, Simon Abgarian, Henri Verneuil.
– Unfortunately, Aznavour is no longer with us, unfortunately, he did not fulfill his promise and did not live 100 years, though we all seemed to believe in that. And that powerful link between Armenia and France has at least been physically severed. It is interesting whether after the end of his earthly life attempts were made to re-evaluate his role and significance not only in French culture, but also in Armenian-French relations.
– I think his important role in both French culture and Armenian-French relations has always been properly appreciated both in France and in Armenia, and his role continues thanks to the Aznavour Foundation, which is very active in Armenia.
– Aznavour had a very interesting answer to the question whether he is more Armenian or French. He said it is like coffee with milk, it is impossible to separate. What is your opinion on this issue?
– I will always remember Aznavour’s statement “I am 100% French, I am 100% Armenian.” You know that there are many French people who have Armenian roots. Their number is 500-600 thousand in France. They are French, but Armenia is very important for their identity.
– How would you assess the role of the Armenian community in France today in public, political and other spheres?
– The Armenian community is a very important factor in strengthening the Armenian-French relations. For example, it actively participates in decentralized cooperation, I mean the development of cooperation between French and Armenian cities and regions. We have a total of about 40 agreements, the Armenian community actively participates in them and plays a big role in that regard. The Armenian community also plays an active role at the associative level. For example, during and after the 44-day war in 2020, many Armenian Diaspora organizations organized numerous rallies in solidarity with Armenia. I can mention, for example, the Aznavour Foundation, which we have already talked about, the Santé Arménie organization, which was very active, as well as the French branch of the UGAB Association.
– How would you describe the Armenia-France interstate relations, the Armenian-French relations in general? In other words, what is the significance of France and Armenia for each other?
– The Armenian-French relations are very important. On February 24, we marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-French diplomatic relations. Our relations have a long history of friendship, in which, as we have already mentioned, the Armenian community of France also plays a big role. But they are also based on the mutual readiness of the governments of the two countries to cooperate in various fields. We have a high-level political dialogue. You know that France, as the Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, plays an important role in the settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
There is also significant educational and cultural cooperation. Armenia is also a member of the International Organization of La Francophonie, we work closely with the Armenian side to promote the teaching of French and French culture in Armenia.
French companies in Armenia play an important role in the development of the economic sphere. I can mention, for example, Veolia, Carrefour, Amundi ACBA.
Besides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne signed a very important and ambitious roadmap for the economic sphere in December, 2021. We want to further strengthen our economic cooperation, as well as help the Armenian government to develop Armenia further and open itself to the world.
– Can you clarify on what road map Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne was talking about, which was signed between Armenia and France?
– It is a very extensive road map, which has great ambitions. It envisages cooperation, for example, in areas such as the latest technologies, high technologies, sustainable energy, sustainable development. It also envisages the active role of the French Development Agency, which is already present in Armenia, as well as it aims to promote the Armenian market in France.
It should be reminded that this cooperation should be understood in a broader sense, in the context of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed between Armenia and the European Union, as well as within the framework of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership.
– And what is the progress of the implementation of that agreement, the CEPA?
– As you already know, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement has already been signed, approved in both Armenia and France, and now it must be implemented. At the moment, the European Union expects the Armenian side to develop various strategies, based on which it will be possible to continue cooperation.
– And in general, which spheres of mutual interest in the Armenian-French relations have the potential for development?
– I think education is an area where we are already doing a lot, but we can further strengthen the cooperation. As you know, we have a French school here, a French University in Armenia, an Armenian-French professional center. In other words, we have a very good basis, which, I think, allows us to further develop these programs of cooperation in the field of education to meet the needs of both the Armenian government and Armenian enterprises. We are thinking of projects that can be implemented by both the French state and local governments or French associations.
– According to the latest data, in 2021 the trade turnover between Armenia and France amounted to about $ 95 million. I wonder if there is task to expand the volume of bilateral trade, given the role of trade and economy in interstate relations.
– Yes, as I said, we already have close cooperation in the field of culture, education, we have a great desire to further develop our relations in the field of economy, which is the reason why we signed the above-mentioned road map in December last year. At the moment, we do not have a specific number, because we must first understand what projects we will work on, and then involve the actors who will be interested in those projects.
– France holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for 6 months this year. I wonder what role France, as the EU presidency holder, can play in resolving escalating conflicts in Europe.
– Since taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2022, France has taken various initiatives in the region. President Macron and President of the European Council Charles Michel organized a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. France’s goal was, first of all, to ensure a dialogue between the two countries, as well as to contribute to the solution of the humanitarian problems that arose after the war. As you know, due to that mediation, 8 Armenian soldiers were released and returned to Armenia by a French military plane.
France is also working to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. As you know, before the start of hostilities, President Macron visisted Moscow and then to Kyiv to try to find a peaceful way out of the crisis. Unfortunately, President Putin did not listen to the French President’s call for peace. And, of course, France strongly condemns Russia’s military invasion into Ukraine, which is a gross violation of international law and one of the greatest crises of the 21st century in Europe.
– Since France is also a mediator in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, I would like to ask your comment on this issue. After the 44-day war, there is a lot of uncertainty over the Karabakh issue. The President of Azerbaijan stated that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs should not deal with the Nagorno Karabakh issue, as Azerbaijan has allegedly “solved” this issue. Do you agree that the Nagorno Karabakh issue is resolved and the Minsk Group should not deal with this issue? And how do you see the further diplomatic process on the Nagorno Karabakh issue?
– Certainly, as the Co-chair of the Minsk Group, France wants to continue its work and make efforts for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Unfortunately, we see that Azerbaijan does not allow the Minsk Group to work, so we are trying to find other ways to ensure dialogue, in particular through the actions of the European Union.
– And how can Azerbaijan be brought to a more constructive field?
– By ensuring dialogue.
– Are there any other events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year?
– Yes of course: This year will be dedicated to the events of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It is a pity that our very first event, which was organized on February 24 at the embassy, took place in a somewhat sad situation, in the light of the hostilities in Ukraine. But we have also planned other events, such as concerts, film screenings. We have also planned debates of ideas to ponder on what the next 30 years will be like for French-Armenian relations.