France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region will try to organize delivery of humanitarian aid to Artsakh

(Armradio) – Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, says they will try to deliver humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

“I have long been a friend of Armenia and Artsakh. I’m shocked by everything happening here,” Mr. Wauquiez said speaking alongsite Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan at the Representation of Artsakh in Yerevan.

He said an agreement on cooperation between Artsakh and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region was signed back in 2019. Laurent Wauquiez says his family faced huge pressure on the part of pan-Turkic organizations because of his stance on Artsakh.

“I’m here today, because I know that the whole international attention is focused on Ukraine, and there is a threat that Armenia and Artsakh could be forgotten amid all this. In our region, the Armenian flag is flying alongside that of Ukraine in the conference hall of the Regional Council,” he said.

Earlier this week Laurent Wauquiez visited the entrance to the Lachin corridor. “I did it for all my compatriots to see and realize that the international law is being violated here and that beyond that border, 120 000 people are deprived of basis human rights,” he said.

“My duty as a politician now is to act and try to help you at this moment,” he added.

Mr Wauquiez said that jointly with Armenian organizations of France they want to organize delivery of humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

“The convoy will be organized with our region’s support and will bear our region’s flag. It will approach the Lachin Corridor, and we will demand passage to Artsakh. Either the convoy will pass and we will have a ray of hope, or the convoy will be barred and it will give us the opportunity to present this issue before international and European organizations, noting that that once again the international law is being violated, and that actions must be taken,” Wauquiez added.