French FM makes statement on remarks by country's foreign minister

(UPDATE:Details were added) Azerbaijan, Baku, March 10 /Trend, S.Agayeva/ The official position of the Foreign Ministry of France, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, is to completely support the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act and the statements by the presidents of Russia, France and the U.S. they have made at the G8 summit in Italy's L'Aquila and Canada's Muskok, said the statement by French Foreign Ministry.
French Foreign Ministry's statement was made in connection with yesterday's statement by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in Parliament that "the right of peoples to self-determination is a fundamental principle."
The joint statement by the presidents of Russia, France and the United States, made on July 10, 2009 in L'Aquila and June 26, 2010 in Muskok, fully supports the principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
"The presidents of the Russian Federation, the United States and France, as heads of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states, welcomed and viewed as an important step the both sides' recognition of the fact that a lasting settlement must be based on the principles contained in the Helsinki Final Act and on those provisions that we proposed in connection with our statement at the G8 summit in L'Aquila in July 10, 2009".
They include: the return of territories around Nagorno-Karabakh, an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh, which provides guarantees of security and self-government; corridor linking Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh; determining the future final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding will of its people, the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former homes, international guarantees of security, including peacekeeping operations.
Also, the statement by the French Foreign Ministry contained support for the statement of OSCE Minsk Group on March 9.
"The OSCE Minsk Group is deeply concerned about reports of ceasefire violations along the line of contact before and after the Summit on March 5 in Sochi. Such senseless acts, if confirmed, would be contrary to the obligations of the sides to refrain from using force and to seek a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the source said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Feb. 18, during the discussion of French foreign policy in the Senate of the country, Senator Nathalie Goulet announced country's position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to which France does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and unequivocally supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
During her speech in the Senate, where former French Foreign Minister Michel Alliot Marie was present, Goulet also called upon the French Foreign Ministry to express its attitude towards the frequent travel of a number of French MPs to Nagorno-Karabakh without the agreement of the Azerbaijani authorities. Goulet said conducted in 2010, the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were difficult and fruitless because of Armenia's intransigence.