France works with Yerevan and Baku on peace treaty and Karabakh settlement - Foreign Ministry

YEREVAN, April 12. /ARKA/. The French Foreign Ministry has issued a statement regarding its role in the OSCE Minsk Group.
The statement posted on the website of the French Foreign Ministry notes that France recalls its full commitment, both bilaterally and in its capacity as President of the Council of the European Union and Co-Chair of the Minsk Group, to strengthening peace and stability in the South Caucasus region.
"Work continues with Armenia and Azerbaijan to make progress on humanitarian issues, support work on border demarcation, the unblocking of the region, heritage preservation, the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This is, in particular, the essence of the February 4 meeting organized via videoconference at the initiative of the President of the French Republic with the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan and the President of the Council of Europe," the statement says.
The French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Brice Roquefeuil stressed on Monday the need for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs during a meeting in Yerevan with Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan.
The French diplomat arrived in Armenia after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on April 8 'that the United States and France in a Russophobe frenzy… have cancelled the co-chairing troika of the OSCE Minsk Group,’ saying that they will not be communicating with Russia in this format.”
He added: “If they are ready to sacrifice the interests -- in this case of the Armenian side -- of settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh and the South Caucasus as a whole, it’s their choice.”
In a related development, the US Department of State urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify their diplomatic contacts and continue to use direct communication mechanisms to find comprehensive solutions to all issues related to or arising from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to normalize relations through the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement.
The State Department said also that "the U.S. stands ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan in these initiatives, including through our capabilities within the OSCE Minsk Group." -0-