France urges Russia to fix Karabakh truce ‘ambiguities’

France on Tuesday urged Russia to clear up “ambiguities” over the ceasefire it brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly the role of Turkey and foreign fighters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin brokered the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which allowed Azerbaijan to consolidate gains in the disputed territory after several weeks of fighting.

But the talks did not involve France or any other Western country.

“We must remove the ambiguities over refugees, the delimitation of the ceasefire, the presence of Turkey, the return of fighters and on the start of negotiations on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament.

Le Drian said the issues would be discussed by a meeting in Moscow of diplomats from the so-called Minsk Group — a talking shop that tries to find a solution to the conflict, co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.

The US State Department backed France’s view, saying there were still questions that the Russians needed to clarify about the deal, “and that included the role of the Turks”.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a visit to Georgia, which borders both parties to the conflict, said the ceasefire was just a first step towards creating a peaceful settlement.

He urged all sides to start talking under the Minsk Group’s auspices.

– Truce ‘was essential’ –

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of Azerbaijan populated by ethnic Armenians that broke away from Baku’s control in a war that erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed.

Azerbaijan never hid its desire to regain control and six weeks of fighting ended earlier this month with large chunks of Karabakh and surrounding regions again held by Baku, under a deal widely seen as a major defeat for Armenia.

France has a large Armenian minority concentrated in several cities and has been hugely critical of Turkey’s support of Baku in the conflict, which according to President Emmanuel Macron extended to sending Syrian fighters to the region.

It remains unclear if Turkey is planning to dispatch its own troops to play a role in the ceasefire deal.

“The departure of foreign fighters deployed in the conflict is a fundamental element for stability in the region,” said a French diplomatic source, who asked not to be named.

Le Drian denied that France had been passive in the conflict by failing to support Armenia, saying “discussions have already begun” over the future status of Karabakh with Putin and the United States.

“The ceasefire was essential to save thousands of lives. But there are ambiguities,” said Le Drian.