Macron Calls for Lasting Political Solution in Karabakh

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for a “lasting political solution” to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a deal to end weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed region.

Macron also urged that Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan, “end its provocations” in the conflict over the ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan’s control in the early 1990s.

The French leader, who has crossed swords repeatedly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a range of issues, including Nagorno-Karabakh, added that a long-term deal should also “preserve Armenia’s interests”.

Macron’s office quoted him as saying that efforts should be made “without delay” to try to come up with a “lasting political solution to the conflict that allows for the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh to remain in good conditions and the return of tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes.”

Russia, which is in a military alliance with Armenia but also has good ties with Azerbaijan, brokered a ceasefire in the dispute between the two former Soviet republics.

The deal followed a string of Azerbaijani victories in its fight to retake Nagorno-Karabakh.

The accord sparked celebrations in Azerbaijan but fury in Armenia, where protesters took to the streets to denounce the country’s leadership for losses in the territory.

Macron said that France, which is home to an strong Armenian community, “stands by Armenia at this difficult time.”