Charpentier: Status quo is not favorable neither for Yerevan, nor for Bacu
ArmInfo.France as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group spares no effort in imparting momentum to the dynamics of the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement. French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier
stated this in an interview with Azatutyun.
According to the diplomat, Paris is interested in direct contacts
between the parties, since the problem concerns both sides. "As you
have already noticed, the mediators are in the region, on Monday they
met with the president of the republic, as well as with the minister
of foreign affairs. Yesterday and today they are already in
Stepanakert. Therefore, the idea is to make maximum efforts to resume
direct dialogue. And France always spoke, including during the visit
of the Armenian President to Paris on March 8. The French leader
again confirmed his opinion that if it is time, France is ready to
again accept such a meeting. Another point that I would like to focus
on is the need to introduce mechanisms of trust, since one cannot
expect a healthy and effective dialogue in the negotiation process
without the introduction of certain mechanisms of trust. By the way,
agreements were reached on this issue both at the Vienna summit and
in St. Petersburg, and this provision was approved," said
Charpentier.
Answering the question about the reason for the continuing tension in
the conflict zone, the French diplomat once again stated the
unacceptability of the status quo in the conflict zone. "Obviously,
while we are in a situation where the two countries are in danger of
aggravating the situation and violating the ceasefire, the situation
can not naturally be simplified. Obviously, we need to try to find a
solution to the issue through diplomatic means, in any case, to find
a solution that is acceptable to both parties and probably to some
extent on the basis of mutual concessions. I understand that this
mission requires long and hard work. The mediators maintain constant
contact with Yerevan and Baku. I would like to reiterate the words of
the President of France delivered during the meeting with the
Armenian President on March 8, which were then reported to the
Azerbaijani leader, namely, that the status quo can not last long,
including the points of view of security. And second, none of the two
countries benefit from maintaining this status quo, "Charpentier
said.