French Senate adopts resolution calling for recognition of Artsakh

Armradio – The French Senate voted 305 to 1 to adopt a resolution, calling for recognition of the Republics of Artsakh by France.

The resolution was authored by Senators Bruno Retailleau, Patrick Kanner, Hervé Marseille, Éliane Assassi, Guillaume Gontard.

The voting was preceded by nearly two hours of debate.

The resolution condemns the military aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, emphasizing that Azerbaijan has been supported by the Turkish authorities i.a. through the involvement of jihadist mercenaries and calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territories occupied after 27 September, 2020.

The French Senators also:

• calls for providing massive humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh
• calls for conducting an international investigation into the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in particular against the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh including the use of weapons prohibited by the international law
• calls for an appropriate and firm response to Turkey for its role in this conflict
• calls for action from the French Government to do everything in its power to ensure that negotiations for a lasting resolution of the conflict resume under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group
• emphasizes that the negotiations should address the restoration of the borders defined in 1994 as well as the security of the Armenian populations and the right of return of displaced persons and the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage.

The resolution underlines that the security and freedom of the Armenian populations of Artsakh are not guaranteed under the Azerbaijani control, which is i.a. attested in the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI) and of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

The Senate reminds of the Armenian massacres of Soumgaït, Kirovabad, in Baku and Maragha, systemically organized by the Azerbaijani authorities.

The resolution of the French Senate also states that the Turkish military support provided to Azerbaijan is at the origin of the war unleashed on 27 September by Azerbaijan.

It denounces the deployment of jihadist mercenary groups from Syria by Azerbaijan and Turkey.