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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan must refrain from using force and it must start peaceful dialogue over the rights of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as ensure transit along Lachin Corridor, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said during the UNSC meeting on the Azeri attack against Nagorno-Karabakh.
The UNSC meeting is convened by France at the request of Armenia.
“After amassing a large number of troops and military equipment for several weeks, Azerbaijan initiated a large-scale military operation using ground and air measures, causing consequences for the civilian population, which no one can believe was not premeditated,” Colonna said.
The French FM said that the Azeri actions contradict the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes stipulated in the UN Charter.
“We are not the only country to think so. A number of countries represented here today are likewise rejecting this violence and arbitrary behavior, calling on Azerbaijan to display restraint and respect international law. The consequences of this action have been severe. There are hundreds of wounded people, dozens were killed, including civilians, including children,” Colonna said.
The French FM noted that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is not questioned, but the opportunity of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in NK with its rights and respect for its history and culture is in danger.
“France notes President Aliyev’s statement made yesterday confirming his desire to live in peace with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and respect their rights. These words are a commitment by Azerbaijan. Today they are responsible for the fate of the population. If Azerbaijan truly wants to achieve a peaceful and negotiated resolution, it must here and now give tangible guarantees, it must assume commitment to engage in discussions in good faith, not to use force or the threat of force and start peaceful dialogue around the rights and guarantees of the population, with support of the international community,” Colonna said, adding that Azerbaijan must immediately ensure transit along Lachin Corridor and accept an international humanitarian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“There can’t be a solution without these guarantees,” the French FM said.
“We can’t remain idle for the current developments in Nagorno-Karabakh because by doing nothing we'd be complicit in a mass exodus of the population,” she added, calling for a UNSC support for developing parameters of a negotiated solution between Baku and NK.
“We must be vigilant for any attempts of dragging Armenia into these tragic events and using it as a pretext to question Armenia’s territorial integrity. Prime Minister Pashinyan has displayed his responsible approach over the last few months, and desire to ease the tension and find a peaceful solution with Azerbaijan, based on respect and recognition of the territorial integrity of the two countries, with clearly defined and demilitarized borders,” the French FM said.