French City of Decin-Charpieu Calls on French Government to Recognize Artsakh

On November 19, the French city of Decin-Charpieu, sister city to Artsakh’s Jermuk, adopted a resolution regarding the situation in Artsakh, calling on the French Government to recognize the Republic of Artsakh.

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, which added that the resolution specifically states: "While an unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis is taking place across the world, since September 27, we have witnessed the extraordinary attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the peaceful Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, supported by the Turkish armed forces and Syrian mercenaries. This area, located in the eastern part of historical Armenia, is the cradle of Christianity and has been inhabited by Armenians for millennia. In 1921, it was arbitrarily annexed to Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin’s unilateral decision. Since 1988, the quest for freedom among the peoples forced the Soviet Socialist Republics to transform into independent states, which received immediate recognition in accordance with international law. The people of Artsakh declared themselves an independent republic through a referendum.

The fate of this Christian territory on the eastern border of Europe, of Artsakh and Armenia, is a matter that pertains solely to its inhabitants' future. Everyone must acknowledge this. On November 9, a regrettable ceasefire was announced, and although we welcome the positive attitude of France, which called for an end to the fighting, we nevertheless regret that neither this country nor Europe or NATO intervened to stop the aggressive Azerbaijan, whose goal is to commit further crimes against the Armenian population and gradually seize the territories of Artsakh.

The Armenians of Artsakh and Armenia wish to live freely and peacefully in their ancestral lands. Thus, we lament the loss of Artsakh territories as a result of the ceasefire agreement. Therefore, the city council of Decin-Charpieu expresses the following call: recognition of the Republic of Artsakh by France as a guarantee of the safety of its population and regional and global stability, participation in the wave of international humanitarian assistance by providing exceptional financial support to the Republic of Artsakh."