July 21, 2018 - 13:22 AMT
French, Azerbaijani Presidents discuss Karabakh in Paris

President of France Emmanuel Macron and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh at a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday, July 20.

According to a communiqué published by the Elysee Palace, Macron said France will continue to contribute to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict in the interest of the peoples of the region.

"France as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group has a special responsibility for ensuring long-term peace in the region," the statement said.

The French president stressed that he will continue to work in search of a negotiated solution, which is the only option to end this conflict on a long-term basis.

"The French president will closely monitor the situation, and France, along with the Russian and American co-chairs, will take all measures to make progress in the settlement process," the Elysee Palace said in the statement.

France, Russia and the United States co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which is mandated to find a settlement for the conflict.