It is important not to consider the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh as something that will last forever, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monnier believes.
“There is a saying in French: ‘you don’t need the reason of hope to be active’. If there is a conflict in Ukraine it doesn't mean we have to be completely inactive in Nagorno-Karabakh. My impression and the will of our government are not linking these two. As soon as the date is agreed with the parties, the co-chairs will come to the region. There is a willingness to help and to maintain dialogue between the parties,” Trend cited him as saying.
According to the diplomat, mediation is neither a tribunal nor a court, it is a way to use all the techniques available for the diplomats and experts in confidence building in a conflict resolution in post-crisis management.
He added that the co-chairs cannot decide for the presidents in terms of what is acceptable for them, for the people of the region.
“We urge, by all means, both presidents, both countries to start a dialogue and to avoid any measures which can harm this dialogue,” Monnier noted.
Armenia is unlikely to be happy with the status quo, according to the French ambassador.
“As we know, Armenia is occupying a lot of territories, 7 territories, and also controlling Nagorno-Karabakh. If we look at the economic situation of Armenia, we don’t have an impression that Armenia is getting a lot from the situation. I think Armenia would get more if peace was there. We know that there are three major principles of resolution: non-use of force, territorial integrity and self-determination,” said the ambassador, adding that territorial integrity and self-determination are sometimes contradictory.
Earlier, the deputy chairman of the OSCE PA’s committee on political affairs and security, the Azerbaijani MP Azay Guliyev, said he plans to raise the issue of increasing the number of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs from three countries - the US, Russia and France - to five, including Germany and Turkey. Guliyev said he will raise the issue at the winter session of the OSCE PA, to be held in Vienna.
Monnier believes the co-chairing group is the right body to find a peaceful, lasting solution to the conflict. “At the same time, what I think is that any concrete support of any member states is welcomed that means that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is something of concern for all the nations because it violates stability in the region and it also prevents the economic integration of the region,” he said, adding that it has a negative impact on everybody.a
