Pashinyan and Macron Discuss Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN — French President Emmanuel Macron and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have again discussed the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone following the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire.

They spoke by phone late on Wednesday one day after a transport plane chartered by the French government delivered more humanitarian aid to Armenian victims of the conflict. The aid included medical supplies and clothing collected by the French-Armenian Aznavour Foundation.

“The President of the Republic expressed his determination to strive for a balanced political process in order to find a lasting political solution after the ceasefire agreement of November 9,” Macron’s office said in a statement on the phone call issued on Thursday.

“In this context, the President of the Republic pledged to support the ongoing efforts to allow the release of all prisoners and to support the economic development of Armenia,” it added.

For his part, Pashinyan was reported to thank Macron for the “attention and support shown by him during this difficult time for the Armenian people.”

An Armenian government statement said the two leaders also discussed French-Armenian economic ties. It gave no other details.

Macron and his foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, have repeatedly discussed the agreement’s implementation with their Russian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov.

The French president criticized Azerbaijan and accused Turkey of recruiting jihadist fighters from Syria for the Azerbaijani army shortly after the outbreak of the war. Le Drian reiterated last month French calls for “the departure of the Syrian mercenaries” from the conflict zone.