During a visit to France on April 13, a delegation led by Artsakh National Assembly Speaker Ashot Danielyan was received by Bishop Grigor Khachatryan, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of France.

The meeting took place at the diocesan headquarters, according to the Artsakh National Assembly’s Facebook page.

“During the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of ongoing efforts to restore the rights of the people of Artsakh. The need to consolidate joint efforts was highlighted to achieve results at the international level.

Concern was also expressed over actions initiated by Armenian authorities against the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Speaker of the Artsakh National Assembly stressed that the people and authorities of Artsakh have expressed their unconditional support for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and have informed Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II about this,” the statement said.

The delegation led by Ashot Danielyan also held a working meeting at the Artsakh representation office in France with representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan.

Earlier, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive against Artsakh, subjecting the entire territory to massive shelling. As a result, on September 20, the authorities of Artsakh accepted a ceasefire proposal from the command of the Russian peacekeeping mission, agreeing to Baku’s terms, including the disarmament of the Defense Army and the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh.

The attack resulted in 223 deaths, including 20 civilians, six of them minors. From September 24, forced displacement of Artsakh Armenians began, with more than 100,000 people forcibly relocating to Armenia. According to some reports, about 20 Armenians remained in Artsakh, of whom 11 later returned to Armenia, one died, and one was detained.