France’s Ambassador to Armenia, Jean-François Charpentier, issued a statement today in which he expressed his condolences to the families of the three Armenian crew members killed on November 12 when their helicopter was shot down by Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Charpentier writes that this incident shows just how long and complicated the road is to a negotiated settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

“As France’s ambassador to Armenia I can only wish that the parties, in the days and weeks to come, will refrain from verbal escalations and all type of provocations, and that they will return to the dynamic of dialogue launched at Sochi, Newport and Paris and facilitated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” the statement reads.

The ambassador concludes by arguing that confidence building measures are needed now more than ever.