It is not France that should decide what status Nagorno-Karabakh can have in the region. The speaker of the National Assembly (NA) of France, Yael Braun-Pivet, said this Friday during her joint news press conference in Yerevan with speaker Alen Simonyan of the Armenian NA—and answering a French reporter's question on what status is foreseeable for Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), from France's point of view, for a peaceful settlement of this conflict.

"Our [i.e., France’s] position is clear [on this matter]. We have not recognized the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the status should not be defined by France. It should be defined within the framework of international law, by various peoples; and in particular, by various parties to the conflict," she said.

To the clarifying question on what the  international law says when 120,000 people are under a blockade in Karabakh, the speaker of the French NA responded: "International law says that there is a corridor that must be [re]opened and that the movement of people must be restored."

And when asked whether political negotiations can continue in a state of blockade, Braun-Pivet said: "Yes. I am a person who believes in dialogue. And I believe that one should never give up on dialogue; one should always try to find a peaceful solution."