Macron also urged that Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan, to “end its provocations” in the conflict.
“France firmly calls on Turkey to put an end to its provocations about Nagorno-Karabakh, to show restraint and to do nothing that compromises the possibility of a lasting agreement being negotiated between the parties and within the framework of the Minsk Group,” the French president said.
He 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.”
The French president said he will actively pursue his consultations with Russia and will meet “very soon” with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.
Macron said that France, which is home to a strong Armenian community, “stands by Armenia at this difficult time.”
Along with Russia and the United States, France is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group that has for nearly three decades spearheaded international efforts to broker a negotiated peace for Nagorno-Karabakh.