French lawmakers introduce resolution calling for EU pressure on Azerbaijan to sign Armenia peace deal

A resolution has been introduced in the French National Assembly calling on the French government and the European Union to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to speed up the signing of a peace agreement with Armenia and to release the Armenian prisoners unlawfully held in Baku.

The resolution was co-authored by Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the 'Republican Right' group in the French National Assembly and the president of the France-Armenia Friendship Group, and Alexandra Martin, the vice-president of the same group.

The resolution states that France has a historical and political role to play in supporting Armenia’s efforts to achieve peace in the region, as a friend of Armenia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a key player in implementing the European Neighborhood Policy.

In this context, the necessity of signing a strategic partnership document between Armenia and France is emphasized, based on democracy, human rights, security, and development. The resolution also highlights the urgent need for the immediate release of Armenian POWs and other detainees held Azerbaijan, stressing that the ongoing sham trials against them in Azerbaijan are part of a broader systematic policy of destroying the Armenian population, cultural heritage, and spiritual legacy in all areas under Azerbaijan’s control, and of denying the existence of Armenia.

The resolution presented by French parliamentarians calls on the French government and the European Union to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to accelerate the signing of a peace agreement with Armenia and to release Armenian prisoners of war. It also demands that the French government finalize and sign a document on strategic cooperation with Armenia in the near future and calls on the EU to expand its political, economic, military, educational, scientific, and cultural cooperation with Armenia.