January 7, 2021 - 17:56 AMT
Karabakh: Macron pledges to work for a lasting political settlement

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to work for a balanced process in order to find a lasting political solution in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Macron weighed in on the matter in a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday, January 6, reiterating France's readiness to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the war. The conversation came a day after the arrival in Yerevan of a fifth plane chartered by the French government, carrying winter clothing and medical equipment collected in France by the Aznavour Foundation.

The French President's office said he expressed his determination to work for a balanced process in order to find a lasting political solution after the ceasefire agreement of November 9.

Macron pledged to promote the ongoing efforts to allow the release of all prisoners of war, as well as to support the economic development of Armenia.

Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.