Paris has called for a "
transparent investigation
" following an exchange of fire in early March that left five people dead along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Tuesday.
“
After the serious event of March 5, we asked for a transparent investigation and for its conclusions to be made public
,” replied the head of French diplomacy before the National Assembly in response to a question from Renaissance MP Sarah Tanzilli.
“Unacceptable” blocking
Since December, the vital road linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh - a region in the Caucasus disputed between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan - called the Lachin Corridor, has been blocked by Azerbaijani activists who say they are protesting illegal mines in the region.
But Armenia claims that this blockage was ordered by Azerbaijan and is causing a humanitarian crisis in the separatist areas, where supplies are coming in dribs and drabs.
On March 5, the Armenian authorities claimed that a group of “
saboteurs
” from the Azerbaijani army had fired in the morning at a police car belonging to the separatist administration.
Following the incident, Yerevan considered that “
the dispatch of a group of international investigators to the Lachin corridor and to Nagorno-Karabakh became a vital necessity
”.
"
France is the country most committed to the defense of Armenians
," said Catherine Colonna.
Read alsoWith or without Russia: Armenia's dilemma against Azerbaijan
Asked Tuesday during a press briefing on the remarks of the Armenian Prime Minister about a possible escalation of the conflict, the spokesperson for the Quai d'Orsay, Anne-Claire Legendre, declared not to have "new
elements
" to share.
On the other hand, she recalled that the blocking of the Lachin corridor was "
unacceptable in view of the humanitarian consequences
".
"
We have called on Azerbaijan several times to respect international law and ensure that the request of the ICJ (International Court of Justice, editor's note) with regard to the unblocking of the corridor (...) can come into effect",
has she also said.
