On November 15, the French Senate will consider a resolution imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan and demanding the immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory. The resolution calls for compliance with the November 9, 2020 statement and to support any initiative aimed at establishing lasting peace between the two countries.
The resolution is introduced by Senators Bruno Retailleau, Christian Cambon Eliane Assassi, Patrick Kanner, Hervé Marseille and Gilbert-Luc Devinaz. The resolution states, in particular:
“Having regard to Article 34-1 of the Constitution, Taking into account the Charter of the United Nations of June 26, 1945,
Having regard to the North Atlantic Treaty of April 4, 1949,
Whereas the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 4 January 1969,
Having regard to United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/1 of 16 September 2005 on the responsibility to protect,
Having regard to the ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020,
Having regard to resolution (2020-2021) No. 26 on the need to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, adopted by the Senate on November 25, 2020,
Considering that the repeated aggressions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the southern and southeastern regions of Armenia constitute a violation of the sovereignty of that state and the cease-fire agreements concluded between the two parties;
Whereas, reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination show that it is impossible for the Armenian population to live freely in Azerbaijan;
Considering that the security and freedom of the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh is not guaranteed by the Republic of Azerbaijan;
Considering that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is taking place in a particularly volatile region close to the European Union and carries a risk of escalation with the potential involvement of regional powers;
Considering that peace talks under the auspices of the European Union suffer from the consequences of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the strategic issues related to the European Union’s energy autonomy;
Considering the efforts made by France since 1994 within the framework of the Minsk Group, which it co-chairs along with Russia and the United States, to reach a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; considering the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on the ability of the Minsk Group to fulfill its mission; considering, moreover, that the process is constantly being obstructed by Azerbaijan’s recourse to a military solution;
Taking into account the condemnation of the international community and the holding of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council at the request of the French Presidency Strongly condemns the new Azerbaijani military aggression carried out in early August 2022 in the Lachin corridor linking Armenia with Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, and on 13 and 14 September 2022 against the southern regions and south-eastern territory of the Republic of Armenia in violation of its sovereignty, international agreements and the United Nations Charter;
Calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces and their allies from the sovereign territory of Armenia and the Lachin corridor, whose security and unchanged status must be ensured, under the terms of the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement;
Calls for the future authorities of Azerbaijan and all their partners in the region, in particular Turkey, to respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Armenia in accordance with their own and international obligations; Calls for the immediate and unconditional release and repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war;
Condemns violations by Azerbaijan of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 4 January 1969 and calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to respect international agreements and conventions aimed at ensuring the security of the Armenian population and their right to live in peace and freedom, the right to return displaced persons and to preserve the Armenian cultural and religious heritage;
Invites the Government to work decisively to have the Security Council of the United Nations refer to the International Criminal Court the aggression of Azerbaijan on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, including the investigation of mass crimes and war crimes;
Calls on the government to consider all diplomatic and economic consequences of these new attacks and to consider, together with its European partners, the strongest possible measures, including confiscation of the assets of Azerbaijani leaders and an embargo on gas and oil imports from Azerbaijan, which authorized the military aggression carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the territory of the Republic of Armenia in violation of its sovereignty;
Invites the government to consider establishing a humanitarian office in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Invites the Government to demonstrate by all means Armenia’s support for France, considering in particular the question of strengthening Armenia’s defensive capabilities in order to ensure its territorial integrity;
Invites the Government to take any initiative without delay to guarantee the security of the Armenian population and of Armenia within its internationally recognized borders and to request to that end the deployment of a liaison force under the auspices of the international community;
Reaffirms the need to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and to turn that recognition into a negotiating tool in order to establish a lasting peace;
Calls on the Government to do its utmost to ensure that Azerbaijan urgently and peacefully joins the negotiation process through diplomatic channels with a view to achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”
