By Ruzanna Stepanyan
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — French parliament speaker Yael Braun-Pivet expressed serious concern over Azerbaijan’s continuing blockade of the Lachin Corridor and reaffirmed France’s support for Armenia’s territorial integrity during an official visit to Yerevan on Friday, January 13.
“We are concerned because the blockade is creating a worsening humanitarian situation [in Nagorno-Karabakh,]” Braun-Pivet said after talks held with her Armenian counterpart Alen Simonyan.
“It is very important that free traffic between Armenia and Karabakh and electricity and internet connections be restored,” she told a joint news conference. ”We will do everything to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.”
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Baku to “allow free movement along the Lachin Corridor” when he phoned his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev late last month. According to the French readout of the call, Aliyev expressed his “intention” to do so.
However, government-backed Azerbaijani protesters have since continued to block the only road connecting Karabakh to Armenia on ostensibly environmental grounds. Azerbaijani officials have endorsed their actions.
