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The territorial integrity of Armenia must be preserved and Azerbaijan must withdraw its troops from the Armenian soil, French lawmaker Jacques Le Nay said in his remarks at the PACE current affairs debate on “Military hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including strikes against settlements and civilian infrastructures” on Monday. The full text of his statement is provided below.

"Thank you, Madam President.

Dear colleagues,

After the conflict that left more than 6 500 dead on both sides in 2020, the guns have spoken again between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two states that are members of our Organization. It seems that Azerbaijan has opened fire and its troops have moved into Armenian territory. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, claims that it only retaliated against Armenian provocations. At least 286 people were killed in these clashes.

For my part, and on behalf of my group, I obviously condemn the use of force, which is totally unacceptable to settle disputes between the member states of our Organization.

The clashes that took place a month ago, are the most violent since the end of the war in 2020 and are not isolated incidents.

In the face of this situation, which could very quickly lead to a new war, it is necessary to recall a number of fundamental points. First of all, the territorial integrity of Armenia must be preserved and Azerbaijan must withdraw from the territory of Armenia in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of 10 November 2020.

Moreover, as member states of the Council of Europe, both belligerents must respect the rights of prisoners of war and commit themselves not to organise abductions. However, the press reports videos circulating on social networks showing Armenians being abducted and tortured by Azeri soldiers. Azerbaijan must investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Finally, I call on both states to quickly negotiate a peace agreement that must be respected. To this end, the Council of Europe must fully play its role as a pan-European platform for discussion and contribute through political dialogue to an easing of tensions and respect for the fundamental rights of the citizens of both States.

Dear colleagues,

The international community cannot remain indifferent to the situation in this region. The European Union and the United States, but also Russia and Turkey, must work together to resolve this conflict. However, it will not be easy to mobilise the international community on this issue given the war in Ukraine.

Indeed, it also has repercussions on the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Thus, Russia is more isolated than ever on the international scene, which will not facilitate discussions. Moreover, it is not clear that it is in Russia's interest to become more involved in this conflict when it is currently mired and in difficulty with the conflict it has opened with Ukraine.

In this context, I believe that our action is more necessary than ever to make our governments aware of the need to act for the benefit of peace in this region.

Thank you for your attention."