\n \n \n “. concat(self. i18n. t(‘search. voice. recognition_retry’), “\n
” s ” ” t. config. saAria. shownText “
“e. config. saAria. closedText”
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday accused Russia of intentionally provoking recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an effort to destabilize the Caucasus region and beyond.
The worst fighting between the two ex-Soviet countries since 2020 broke out last September, killing more than two hundred people.
The fighting is linked to decades-long hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, worldwide identified as part of Azerbaijan but until 2020 largely led by the Armenian majority population.
Moscow, which has a defense pact with Armenia and a military base there, has deployed thousands of peacekeepers to the region after a ceasefire in 2020.
This reaffirmed his role as a gendarme and intermediary leader in the volatile component of the former Soviet Union, where Turkey also wields growing influence in its close alliance with Azerbaijan.
However, speaking on France 2 tv on Wednesday, Macron said Moscow had stoked tensions in recent months in favor of Azerbaijan.
“What happened at the border in the last two years . . . 5,000 Russian troops would be there to secure the border, (but) the Russians have used this confrontation that goes back centuries and played into Azerbaijan’s favor with Turkish complicity and has again weakened Armenia, which was once a close country,” Macron said.
“See what’s going on? This is an effort to destabilize Russia. It is to sow disorder in the Caucasus to destabilize us all. “
France, in combination with the United States and Russia, co-chairs the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which mediates Nagorno-Karabakh.
Macron held talks last week with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Council President Charles Michel to develop a deal that will see an EU civilian project the countries’ borders to assess the situation.
(Reporting through John Irish; Editing by Sandra Maler)