News - France FM: What happened in Nagorno-Karabakh is like ethnic cleansing

Catherine Colonna, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, reflecting on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh on the air of France 2 television, reaffirmed her support for Armenia. To the question about ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, she responded as follows: "It reminds of something like that. People are forced to leave the land of their ancestors, forced to leave it after the last hostilities, or under the threat of new hostilities. It is not a voluntary departure." Colonna used the words "crime" and "tragedy" to describe these events. The French FM assured, however, that it is to be hoped that these displaced Armenians will be able to return to Nagorno-Karabakh. "France has been a friend of Armenia for a long time and acts on its behalf," Colonna recalled: As for sanctions on Azerbaijan, the French diplomat noted that this matter is "not on the agenda." "We provide assistance to Armenians, especially in the humanitarian and medical fields," she said. According to Colonna, Azerbaijan is obligated to respect international law and its obligations. "We support Armenia diplomatically and politically as well," the French FM emphasized. Colonna reaffirmed that she asked the French defense minister to assess their capacity of providing military aid to Armenia, but she did not specify specific dates and weapons that France will be able to transfer to Armenia. "We are in dialogue with Yerevan to assess what weapons are needed. This is also a way to avoid an even more difficult situation, which this time will undoubtedly be followed by Europe's, or at least France's, harsh sanctions [on Azerbaijan]," said Catherine Colonna.