Wednesday, March 29 2017 18:13

ArmInfo.France as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group spares no effort in imparting momentum to the dynamics of the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh  settlement. French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier  stated this in an interview with Azatutyun.

According to the diplomat, Paris is interested in direct contacts  between the parties, since the problem concerns both sides. "As you  have already noticed, the mediators are in the region, on Monday they  met with the president of the republic, as well as with the minister  of foreign affairs. Yesterday and today they are already in  Stepanakert. Therefore, the idea is to make maximum efforts to resume  direct dialogue. And France always spoke, including during the visit  of the Armenian President to Paris on March 8. The French leader  again confirmed his opinion that if it is time, France is ready to  again accept such a meeting. Another point that I would like to focus  on is the need to introduce mechanisms of trust, since one cannot  expect a healthy and effective dialogue in the negotiation process  without the introduction of certain mechanisms of trust. By the way,  agreements were reached on this issue both at the Vienna summit and  in St. Petersburg, and this provision was approved," said  Charpentier.

Answering the question about the reason for the continuing tension in  the conflict zone, the French diplomat once again stated the  unacceptability of the status quo in the conflict zone. "Obviously,  while we are in a situation where the two countries are in danger of  aggravating the situation and violating the ceasefire, the situation  can not naturally be simplified. Obviously, we need to try to find a  solution to the issue through diplomatic means, in any case, to find  a solution that is acceptable to both parties and probably to some  extent on the basis of mutual concessions. I understand that this  mission requires long and hard work. The mediators maintain constant  contact with Yerevan and Baku. I would like to reiterate the words of  the President of France delivered during the meeting with the  Armenian President on March 8, which were then reported to the  Azerbaijani leader, namely, that the status quo can not last long,  including the points of view of security. And second, none of the two  countries benefit from maintaining this status quo, "Charpentier  said.