French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev during a telephone conversation to ensure «free movement» in the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
Macron conveyed to Aliyev on Friday his «deep concern» over the escalation of tensions in the region and urged Baku to respect the ceasefire agreement signed in 2020, as well as to ensure «unimpeded» access of humanitarian organizations to the affected populations.
For his part, Aliyev has, according to Paris, expressed his intention to respect «free movement» in the Lachin corridor, which is controlled by Russian military deployed as peacekeepers under the agreement between the parties.
«The two presidents (Macron and Aliyev) agreed to pursue, in collaboration with the parties concerned, negotiations to find a political and lasting solution in the region,» the Elysée has concluded in a statement.
The Azeri authorities decided to blockade the area and suspend gas supplies, according to Armenia, so the local authorities – who began to store fuel to avoid a major crisis in the face of the blockade – asked the population to use the car only when necessary, giving priority to ambulances and minimum services.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in several clashes in recent years over the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory with a majority Armenian population which has been the focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the Azerbaijan region integrated into the Soviet Union.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
