French PM: Karabakh resolution principles must be considered as integrated whole

December 1, 2010 - 11:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that as Co-chair of the Minsk Group, France is determined to assist in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, to which there can only be a balanced and negotiated political solution, on the basis, among other elements, of the proposals jointly articulated by Presidents Sarkozy, Medvedev and Obama in L’Aquila and Muskoka.

“These proposals are to be considered as an integrated whole,” Mr. Fillon said in his address to the OSCE Summit in Astana.

“With regard to arms control, we are on the point of taking a first step by modernizing our transparency and confidence-building measures. We must also arrive at an agreement on the launch of new negotiations on the future of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) regime. We must make the new threats an integral part of our cooperative programs. Whether the issue is organized crime or terrorist proselytizing, these scourges concern us all and they call for a concerted response. And to conclude, we must support more effectively everywhere the stability and reinforcement of democratic institutions. They are essential components of lasting security for all,” he said.