French Senate adopts resolution supporting Armenia’s territorial integrity, calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan

The French Senate voted 336 to 1 today to adopt a resolution supporting Armenia and demanding sanctions against Azerbaijan. With the resolution the Senate:

• Supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia;
• Condemns the military attack carried out by Azerbaijan with the support of its allies on September 19 and 20, 2023 against Nagorno-Karabakh;
• Calls on Azerbaijan to guarantee the right of the Armenian population to return to Nagorno-Karabakh by providing conditions that will ensure their safety and well-being;
• Calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia;
• States that Armenia has the right to protect its territorial integrity and have the means to ensure its security, including by military means;
• Condemns the arbitrary arrests of political leaders of Nagorno Karabakh;
• Calls for the removal of Azerbaijan from the intergovernmental committee for the protection of cultural values in the event of an armed conflict;
• Highlights the establishment of an international group of experts at UNESCO and its mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to prepare an informative report on the state of cultural and religious heritage;
• Emphasizes the importance of taking the most severe measures, including seizing the assets of Azerbaijani leaders and embargoing gas and oil imports from Azerbaijan, imposing sanctions in response to Azerbaijan’s military aggression;

The resolution was co-authored by the leaders of all political factions in the Senate: Bruno Ratayo, Marise Carrere, Cécile Soucierman, Guillaume Gontard, Patrick Kanner, Hervé Marcel, Claude Mallure and Francois Patria, as well as the head of the France-Armenia friendship group in the Senate, Gilbert-Luc Devinaz.

The session was chaired by the vice president of the Senate, Sophie Primas. Stephane Sejourne, the newly appointed Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, was also present at the meeting.

Armenian Ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajian and Nagorno-Karabakh representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan were present at the session as guests of honor.