New War Threat: What Macron Discussed with Co-Chairs of France's Armenian Organizations Coordination Council

French President Emmanuel Macron received Ara Toranyan and Murad Papazyan, co-chairs of France's Armenian Organizations Coordination Council, at the Élysée Palace on January 23. Tert.am spoke with Murad Papazyan about the details of the meeting.

"The meeting with the French President lasted about an hour, during which we were able to present the situation in Armenia and Artsakh to Emmanuel Macron. We specifically talked about the blockade of Artsakh, which has cut 120,000 people off from the world, highlighting that this blockade poses serious dangers to the people of Artsakh and has created a humanitarian crisis in the 21st century—without any international pressure. We presented our proposals on this issue, which Macron accepted, and they also made their own suggestions. We are now waiting for their conclusions, and in the coming days, we need to continue working with them towards the main conclusions," he said.

Murad Papazyan noted that they also addressed threats to Armenia's territorial integrity and the danger of a new war. "There is a risk that a new war could start in the coming weeks or months, and we suggested starting an international process to prevent this. It is no secret that Ilham Aliyev approaches the issue in a military style, especially when he speaks about the so-called 'Western Azerbaijan.' We expressed our concerns regarding this issue and suggested that France make international proposals that would compel Aliyev to respect the ceasefire," Papazyan added.

Emmanuel Macron shared their concerns regarding the resumption of war and the blockade of Artsakh. "It is no secret that several European countries benefit from Azerbaijani gas, so the relationship Aliyev has with Europe is quite positive. And despite the fact that the Council of Europe decided to reaffirm the mandate of 70 observers, Azerbaijan's positions continue to remain strong. Our task is to regularly raise awareness about the threats posed by Azerbaijan," Papazyan concluded.