Armenian, French presidents to mull Karabakh conflict resolution

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will starts his official visit to France with a meeting at the Élysée Palace with President Francois Hollande on Monday, ITAR-TASS reported.

The sides will discuss prospects of strengthening of economic and political relations between the two countries.

As is expected, the two leaders also touched upon the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. A meeting with Sargsyan, who has repeatedly been to France, will be first for Hollande, who was elected as French president in May.

As OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, engaged in the process of peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, France aims to promote the approximation of the parties' positions. In early autumn, the Group members met with foreign ministers of the two countries to discuss the situation in a number of Armenian-Azerbaijani border regions in the light of frequent ceasefire violations.

During his visit Sargsyan will meet with French senators and deputies, who are members of the parliamentary friendship group with Armenia. He will also meet with representatives of local business circles.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/