French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, December 23 called on his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to secure uninterrupted passage between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

For almost two weeks now, the key road has been blocked by Azerbaijanis who claim to be environmentalists. Azerbaijan had also deprived the people of Karabakh of gas supplies.

In a statement released by the French presidency, Macron "expressed his deepest preoccupation with renewed tensions in the South Caucasus" and urged Aliyev to "allow free movement along the Lachin corridor."

The French president also underlined "the urgency of guaranteeing the unhindered access of humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies to the affected populations" of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Aliyev, however, defended the self-declared environmentalists and maintained that "balance and impartiality are important" when it comes regional issues.