France must exert maximum pressure for the opening of the Lachin corridor:
According to “Azatutyun,” this was stated by Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Council of France, in Syunik.
“It is very important that the international community responds. The international community becomes guilty through its silence. There is a ruling by the International Court of Justice, and that ruling must absolutely be respected. And what can France do, in my opinion, what must it do: exert maximum pressure so that we can at least open the road in the first phase as a first step for humanitarian aid,” Wauquiez said.
The delegation headed by the French official, which was on a two-day visit to Syunik Province, today visited the entrance of the closed Lachin corridor, at a site called Karmir Hogh (Red Earth) in the village of Tegh, noting that with this step he wants to show the world that France stands by its friendly country, Armenia.
Laurent Wauquiez expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis caused by the corridor being closed for more than 100 days, deeming Azerbaijan’s conduct unacceptable.
“Its (Azerbaijan’s—ed.) hope is that they make progress here, they will establish themselves here, people will gradually forget, and the fact will remain that they are already here. And in that regard, it is very important to constantly remind that international law exists, and the rules of that international law are being violated, the ruling of the international court is being violated.
Here the issue is not even about the borders and demarcation of two sovereign states; the issue is about 150,000 people, people whose all rights are simply being trampled upon,” he stressed.
It should be noted that Syunik Province and France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region have signed a cooperation agreement. A steering committee is to be established for the proper development of projects in line with the cooperation objectives. The parties are to create an action plan that will become part of the signed agreement.
On this occasion, Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, said: “I have gradually come to know and love Armenia, and I know what historical and symbolic value being here holds. And why are we here today: the struggle for Armenia’s integrity will be largely decided here—in Syunik—first of all, because you have always carried the spirit of Armenian resistance; Syunik has never yielded. I, who come from a mountainous country, am very sensitive to individuals such as Davit Bek and Garegin Nzhdeh. Therefore, for Armenia to succeed, Syunik must develop and be strong. You are that crossroads of great roads that can also be Armenia’s defense; thus, our goal is to strengthen this province through joint programs and cooperation. From this moment on, the fates of Syunik Province and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region are joined, which means: whoever attacks Syunik attacks Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.”
