Macron Calls for Lasting Political Solution in Karabakh
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called
for a "lasting political solution" to the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a deal to end weeks of
fierce fighting over the disputed region.
Macron also urged that Turkey, which backs
Azerbaijan, "end its provocations" in the conflict over the ethnic
Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan's control in the early 1990s.
The French leader, who has crossed swords repeatedly
with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a range of issues, including
Nagorno-Karabakh, added that a long-term deal should also "preserve
Armenia's interests".
Macron's office quoted him as saying that efforts
should be made "without delay" to try to come up with a "lasting
political solution to the conflict that allows for the Armenian population of
Nagorno-Karabakh to remain in good conditions and the return of tens of
thousands of people who have fled their homes."
Russia, which is in a military alliance with Armenia
but also has good ties with Azerbaijan, brokered a ceasefire in the dispute
between the two former Soviet republics.
The deal followed a string of Azerbaijani victories
in its fight to retake Nagorno-Karabakh.
The accord sparked celebrations in Azerbaijan but
fury in Armenia, where protesters took to the streets to denounce the country's
leadership for losses in the territory.
Macron said that France, which is home to an strong
Armenian community, "stands by Armenia at this difficult time."
