  French envoy talks Karabakh, Customs Union, Genocide bill October 29, 2013 - 15:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs never ignored the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh’s involvement in the conflict settlement talks, French envoy to Armenia noted commenting on former co-chair Bernard Fassier’s statement. “Fassier, who earlier stressed the necessity of Karabakh’s involvement in the talks, is an experienced diplomat and has extensive knowledge of the issue, so I cannot really question his words,” Henri Reynaud said. “I can only add that the OSCE MG will take every effort to promote the settlement. However, the MG is a mediatory mission and can only offer the settlement options to the conflicting parties, with the latters responsible for final decision.” According to the envoy, with elections completed both in Armenia and Azerbaijan, the countries might come up with new suggestions. The ambassador also stressed the necessity of rapid settlement of the conflict, which prevents the development of the region, Armenia Today said. According to Panorama.am, the envoy said that Armenia’s sovereign decision to join the Customs Union was accepted, with the country’s leadership having expressed a wish to continue relations with the EU. “EU, as well, did not close its doors to further partnership with Armenia in a number of sectors and formats, such as administration, legal, etc., which are not covered by the Customs Union,” he noted. The envoy offered no comment on reports suggesting Armenia was pressured by Russia into joining the Customs Union. As he further noted, a new bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide hasn’t yet been submitted to the French parliament, according to Novosti-Armenia.    The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now. The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.  Top stories Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering.   Partner news |  Topics Latest news Glendale mayor to visit Yerevan  Asatryan last visited Armenia in December 2022-January 2023 as she helped establish a partnership between Armenia’s Opera House and Los Angeles Opera.Ucom’s fixed network launches in Nor Hachn City residents will be able to use fixed-line Internet, mobile communications and television in one package at more affordable prices.Ambassador summoned to Russia returns to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin has returned to Yerevan more than two weeks after being recalled to Moscow for consultations.About 173 million drams and more than 30 beneficiary funds. "The Power of One Dram" is 4 years old In June 2020, the exclusive joint corporate social responsibility initiative of Idram and IDBank "The Power of One Dram" was launched. |
