On December 8, in Paris, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian. A joint press conference followed their meeting. The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued the following transcript of Ayvazyan’s remarks and the Q&A.

"I am glad to be in friendly French capital Paris today. I thank my French colleague for the warm welcome.

"I can state with satisfaction that today we had an effective and honest conversation on the most urgent issues on the agenda of the Armenian-French honored relations. One of the key issues of the meeting, of course, was the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with the active support of Turkey, and the difficult situation created as a result. We exchanged views on the solution of the humanitarian problems that emerged after the war, the further course of the peace process, steps towards regional stability and security, as well as the protection of the centuries-old Armenian cultural heritage under the control of Azerbaijani troops.

"On behalf of the Republic of Armenia, I express my deep gratitude to my French counterpart for the courageous, at the same time, impartial position adopted by France since the very beginning of the war. The statements of President Emanuel Macron were very important for us, where the latter clearly pointed out the aggressor, referred to Turkey's extremely harmful and dangerous involvement in the war, as well as the transfer of jihadist terrorists to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to express my special thanks to Foreign Minister Le Drian personally, both in the difficult days of the war and in the post-ceasefire settlement, for his involvement in assisting Armenia and for the constructive work of French diplomacy.

"I would also like to thank France for the humanitarian assistance provided to Armenia. In recent months, we have really felt the sincere support and compassion of the French people, the state and public circles for us. The most vivid evidence of this are the above-mentioned facts, as well as the thousands of statements and press publications of French intellectuals, representatives of the arts and culture spheres, statesmen and politicians. In this context, I would also like to mention the two journalists of Le Monde daily, who were seriously injured while performing their professional duty in Artsakh. I wish them a speedy recovery.

"During the meeting with my French counterpart, we spoke in detail about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I presented the concerns of Armenia, including the issues of safe and dignified return of the Armenian population who left Artsakh during the war, the immediate exchange of prisoners of war and the return of remains.

"The cases of inhuman treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and hostage-taking civilians by the Azerbaijani military, which are not only not condemned by the high leadership of Azerbaijan, but also receive public support, are strongly condemned. Many Armenian medieval cultural and religious monuments in the Azerbaijani-occupied territories of Artsakh, which the Azerbaijani side is either trying to destroy, desecrate or change their identity, are also being targeted by these manifestations of Armenian hatred. We exchanged views on the preservation of these religious and cultural monuments through international organizations.

"I presented to my colleague Armenia's position on the further course of the negotiations. I stressed the importance of recognizing the status of Artsakh based on the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination.

"We also referred to the further prospects of deepening the close Armenian-French political dialogue and cooperation programs.

"Concluding my speech, I would like to emphasize that I would be very happy to host my colleague Jean-Yves Le Drian in Yerevan to continue the effective Armenian-French dialogue on the issues on the agenda.

Question: Mr. Le Drian, the November 9 statement was aimed at ending hostilities. You also noted the need to resume talks within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in particular on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. How does the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs see the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, given that this issue is the only one of the Madrid Principles that has not yet been addressed? Mr. Ayvazyan, I would also like your comment on the right to self-determination.

Ara Ayvazyan: You see, the right to self-determination has been one of the pillars of the negotiation process. The use of military force cannot remove the right to self-determination from the agenda. Azerbaijan and Turkey, by launching military aggression against Artsakh's self-determination, has violated its international obligations, and Azerbaijan has also violated its obligations in the peace process. Since September 27, there has been a new watershed in the international community, as the international community has come to realize that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not just a territorial dispute.

And in all the parts of Artsakh that came under the control of Azerbaijan, ethnic cleansing and war crimes took place, which once again proves the need to address the recognition of Artsakh's right to self-determination. Only in that case, it seems to me, is it possible to achieve a lasting, just peace, and only then can one think of a new era of peaceful existence in the South Caucasus.