French Ambassador Handed Note by Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry

Baku /29.10.19 / Turan: French Ambassador Zachary Gros was invited to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry the day before, where he was handed a note in connection with the meeting in Yerevan of the Chairman of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Ron-Alpes, Laurent Vauquier, with the “Foreign Minister” of the separatist regime in Karabakh, Masis Mayilyan, and the signing of their “joint declaration”.

During the meeting of the Ambassador with Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, it was indicated that the calls reflected in the "declaration" strike a blow to the negotiation process to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and contain "support for the position of the occupier, Armenia."

The Ambassador was told that the signing of such illegal “documents” by local and regional authorities in France, a leading EU country and co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, casts a shadow on the impartial mediating role of Paris.

The French Ambassador was requested to intervene in this matter by the French Foreign Ministry and provide clarifications to the Azerbaijani side.

In turn, Gros said that such actions by local and municipal authorities do not have any legal force and do not reflect the position of the French government. He noted that France’s position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains fundamental and unchanged.

At the same time, the Ambassador emphasized that the program of Vauquier’s visit to Yerevan is not supported by the French government. His meeting with the representative of the separatist regime was held after the official part of the visit was completed and the French Ambassador to Yerevan was not present there.   –06D--