Association of Friends of Azerbaijan urges French National Assembly to reject infamous resolution

President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France Jerome Lambert has urged the French National Assembly to reject the infamous, anti-Azerbaijan resolution.

A protest against a resolution envisaging the imposition of sanctions against Azerbaijan to be discussed in the National Assembly of France on November 28, 2022, the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with the Diaspora told Report.

Lambert explained his position saying that the individuals who prepared the resolution have no idea about the current situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the norms of international law.

He noted that Armenia occupied a big part of Azerbaijan by force (about 20 per cent of its territory) in the early 1990s.

This occupation, contrary to international law, has been repeatedly discussed and condemned in the UN. France, which is a member of the UN Security Council, also voted in favour of all resolutions condemning the Armenian occupation, Lambert added.

While using the right to protect its territorial integrity, Azerbaijan put an end to the Armenian occupation two years ago, after which the situation in the region stabilized, he noted.

Stating that international organisations did not reproach Azerbaijan which liberated its territories, Lambert reminded that French President Emmanuel Macron has recently repeatedly said that France accepts the state borders of Azerbaijan in 1991, namely, internationally recognised state borders before the occupation by Armenian armed forces.

"There could not be clearer position," he added.

Lambert noted that Azerbaijan has been striving to establish sustainable peace with its neighbour since the signing of the tripartite agreement in November 2020, but Armenia is hindering peace talks that will lead to the stabilisation of relations between the two peoples.

The president of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan stressed that the ultra-nationalist circles in Armenia, unable to assess the current situation, periodically commit provocations and try to cast doubt on the trilateral agreements reached among Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

The restoration of communication and transport routes in the region, contrary to tripartite declarations, is unacceptable because attempts are still being made to place mines on the Azerbaijani territory, Armenia refuses to withdraw its armed forces from the Azerbaijani territory, he said.

Stating that there are the ultra-nationalists in Armenia, as well as in the Armenian diaspora, Lambert said that these forces found a way to convince several senators to come up with this initiative, which is completely inappropriate from the point of view of international law, the search for sustainable peace, as well as the establishment of good relations by Armenia with all peoples.

“Unfortunately, some representatives of the influential French community of Armenian origin on our national territory want to revenge. Armenia, France and the European Union have lost the right to impersonate participants because of the maneuvers of extremists from the Armenian diaspora that Armenia,” Lambert said.

Noting that despite all the obstacles, peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia are intensively held, the president of the Friends of Azerbaijan Association reminded that the leaders of the two countries have recently made declarations in Prague and Sochi recognising the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's countries.

“This means that the “resolution” presented to you does not reflect the current situation. Although the adoption of the resolution will not reflect France’s diplomatic position, nevertheless, it can further isolate our country from the complex realities of these territories, their history, the peoples that we call on to streamline the best relations. We should maintain better relations, allowing us to be and have influence in this region, located on the borders of Europe and at the junction of many civilisations,” Lambert said.

In conclusion, he called on the MPs to vote against a retrograde resolution that does not reflect reality and the current situation.

"France should strive for peace, the representatives of its parliament should not create problems between communities," he said.

The Senate, which is the upper house of the French Parliament, adopted the notorious resolution envisaging sanctions against Azerbaijan on November 15. This resolution will be submitted for discussion in the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the French Parliament on November 28.