France accuses Russia of stoking Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) – France’s President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia on Wednesday of purposefully scary the current clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a part of an effort destabilise the Caucasus area and past.

The worst preventing between the 2 ex-Soviet nations since 2020 broke out in late September, killing greater than 200 folks.

The preventing is linked to decades-old hostilities over management of the Nagorno-Karabakh area, internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan, however till 2020 largely managed by the bulk ethnic Armenian inhabitants.

Moscow, which has a defence pact with Armenia and a army base there, deployed hundreds of peacekeepers to the area after a ceasefire in 2020.

That reaffirmed its function as policeman and chief energy dealer within the risky a part of the previous Soviet Union the place Turkey additionally wields growing affect due to its shut alliance with Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, talking to France 2 tv on Wednesday Macron mentioned Moscow had stoked tensions in current months in favour of Azerbaijan.

“What’s been taking place on the border the final two years … 5,000 Russian troopers are allegedly there to ensure the border, (however) the Russians have used this battle which dated again a number of centuries and performed Azerbaijan’s recreation with Turkish complicity and got here again to weaken Armenia which was as soon as a rustic it was near,” Macron mentioned.

“You see what’s taking place? It is an effort by Russia to destabilise. It needs to create dysfunction within the Caucasus to destabilise all of us.”

France, together with the USA and Russia are co-chairs of the Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group that mediates over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Macron final week sat down with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel to flesh out an settlement that may see a civilian EU mission head to the nations’ border to evaluate the state of affairs.

Reporting by John Irish;
Enhancing by Sandra Maler

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