Azerbaijan Initiated the Conflict, French Foreign Minister States Clearly and Firmly

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has stated that it is Azerbaijan that initiated the conflict in the war that has erupted in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. This was said by the minister during a session of the French Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very serious at this moment, which is why our political cohesion is very strong. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued a joint statement calling on the parties to cease hostilities, as there are numerous civilian casualties," said Jean-Yves Le Drian, clearly emphasizing that it is Azerbaijan that has started the actions.

The Foreign Minister stated that each side should be interested in establishing a ceasefire without preconditions. “It cannot be like this: ‘We want a ceasefire, but...’, that will not happen. The fire is stopped, negotiations begin to reach an agreement on a specific situation that will allow the parties to live normally,” noted the French Foreign Minister, recalling the precondition put forward by Azerbaijan a few days earlier.

On October 7, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also stated that Turkey has intervened militarily on Azerbaijan's side in the military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which threatens to internationalize the conflict.