French FM concerned over clashes on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. French Ministerfor Europe andForeign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drianassessed the developments on Armenia-Azerbaijan border very concerning.

ARMENPRESS reports the French FM said, ''The developments in that region are very concerning from numerous standpoints. First of all, because since the April war 2016 this is the first time such large-scale clashes take place, which claimed 19 lives. By the way, one of the Armenians was killed yesterday. Second, this is concerning because this is the 1st case that clashes occur not on the contact line between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, where they periodically occur and where the April war of 2016 happened, but on Armenia-Azerbaijan interstate border. And the third reason that further compicates the situation is the healthcare crisis''.

Jean-Yves Le Driannoted that the OSCE Minsk Group chaired by Russia, USA and France, mediate for the peaceful settlement of the conflict. ''There can be no military solution. It's necessary to find a political solution. I think it is possible to achieve such a solution by demonstrating strength of will by both sides'', he said, emphasizing that France, as a Minsk Group Co-chair, will spare no efforts for the peaceful settlement.

Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan