STEPANAKERT.- The Karabakh people have the right to declare independence and be recognized by the international community, just as Kosovo, say French MPs.

The delegation headed by Guy Teissier, chairman of the French National Assembly’s committee on national defense, met on Monday with Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentarians, RFE/RL reported.

“Why would we keep silent and not say that people very deeply rooted in this land have the right to live here?” said Teissier.

French MP stressed that visiting Armenia is a gesture of friendship, whereas coming to Karabakh is a gesture of solidarity.

In his turn MP Jacques Remiller noted he personally visited Karabakh to express his sympathy towards the Karabakh people and declare that “people of Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to declare independence and be recognized by the international community, just as Kosovo.”

French MPs also plan to meet with President of Nagorno-Karabakh Bako Sahakyan.

Inter-parliamentary contacts between France and Nagorno-Karabakh have become a tradition. Parliamentary delegation led by MP Francois Rochebloine visited Nagorno-Karabakh several times over the recent years and even appeared in the “black list” of Azerbaijan.