Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan today, in Stepanakert, met with a visiting delegation of members of the French parliament.

Mayilyan's office issued the following statement on the occasion.

In his remarks, Minister Mayilyan welcomed members of the French delegation and expressed gratitude for their solidarity with the Republic of Artsakh, which has been subjected to armed aggression by Azerbaijan with direct involvement of Turkey and international terrorists from the Middle East deployed by Turkey to the conflict zone.

Mayilyan also highly appreciated the efforts of French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at achieving a ceasefire and restoration of peace and stability in the region.

Mayilyan stressed that in the past thirty years the armed aggression unleashed on September 27 is the third attempt by the Azerbaijani side to suppress the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination by force, noting, however, that the current situation differed from the previous ones both in scale and the types of weapons used. According to Mayilyan, the armed aggression of Azerbaijan was accompanied by numerous cases of war crimes, documented also by international organizations.

Mayilyan noted that as a result of the military aggression about 60 percent of the republic’s population was forced to leave their homes, most of the civilian infrastructure was destroyed causing a difficult humanitarian situation in Artsakh. In this regard, the Foreign Minister stressed the need for the involvement of specialized international humanitarian organizations in addressing the situation.

Mayliyan stressed that international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh is the most effective way to stop the Azerbaijani aggression, as this process would apply international political and diplomatic mechanisms to curb the aggression and force Azerbaijan to peace. He further noted that given Azerbaijan’s illusory idea of ​​the alleged belonging of Artsakh to that country, official Baku was trying to extend its sovereignty to Artsakh with the use of force. Therefore, international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh would be a clear signal to Azerbaijan that it has no rights to Artsakh.