Yerevan /Mediamax/. PACE deputy and member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Jerome Lambert believes that “the promotion and support of cross-border economic cooperation should from now on become a priority of French policy in the South Caucasus.”

“For almost three decades, our country has been one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Along with Russia and the United States, France was tasked with ensuring a peaceful settlement of the military occupation of Karabakh, an important region of Azerbaijan, by Armenia. The diplomatic failure of this group was one of the factors of the war between the two neighbors, which ended last year with the restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty. But a lasting peace has not yet been established, and now France has the opportunity to prove itself,” Jerome Lambert writes in an article in La Croix newspaper.

“Not only the future of the South Caucasus, but also France’s international reputation a mediator are at stake. The effectiveness of the Armenian diaspora lobby, well-organized in our territory, may have weakened our country’s ability to fulfill its role as an impartial mediator. Now France must try to change its approach to the region. In this it has a great advantage: as a result of unwavering support for Armenia, France gained a certain influence in Yerevan and must now use this very lever. The French have a long and bitter experience of conflict with their neighbors, but they also understand that economic cooperation and shared prosperity can overcome the most tragic episodes in history. The promotion and support of cross-border economic cooperation should from now on become a priority of French policy in the South Caucasus,” Lambert said.

He notes that “besides the important matter of France’s diplomatic reputation, direct French economic interests are at stake.”

“Today it is in the interests of France to help Armenia get out of isolation. The key to unlocking the region’s potential lies in Yerevan, and Yerevan listens to Paris. It is time to make sure that France’s voice is heard through political, diplomatic and economic channels,” concludes Jerome Lambert.