PARIS (Realist English). French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna expressed solidarity with the Armenian people and called for the establishment of an OSCE monitoring mission on the line of contact between Armenia and the Baku gangs.
“The execution of Armenian prisoners of war is a violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime. There can be no impunity in such cases.
France stands in solidarity with the Armenian people. I say it again without any ambiguity. Therefore, we called for the immediate start of an impartial and independent investigation to identify the perpetrators of these crimes, as well as to bring them to justice. And here I will add that France has called for the release of all detained Armenian prisoners. And I am repeating this call today!
The French President immediately contacted his Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues to call for the cessation of hostilities, respect for the territorial integrity of Armenia and withdrawal from the positions occupied by Azerbaijan. I did the same thing.
We also convened the UN Security Council, which held two meetings on September 15 and 16,” said Colonna, speaking at the National Assembly on October 4.
According to the minister, “these events, which took place on the internationally recognized territory of Armenia, also revealed Russia’s inability to play the role of an arbitrator, which it claimed in a single capacity after the 2020 war.”
“France will continue to advocate for a peaceful settlement of this crisis through negotiations. Currently, the center of our efforts is the creation of an OSCE monitoring mission to establish the facts of ceasefire violations. Just a few days ago, I spoke on this topic with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, my Polish colleague.”
