By Mariam Levina
Interview with Bruno Rethayo, chairman of the French Senate Republicans faction, to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
Senator Rethayo is a co-sponsor of the Senate Resolution on sanctions against Azerbaijan, which was passed by the Senate late last year.
Azerbaijan has blockaded Artsakh for nearly two months now. Nevertheless, there are calls but no sanctions against Baku. Do you think appeals are enough?
No, of course not. Messrs. Aliyev and Erdogan mock our accusations, which have never had any effect.These calls for de-escalation are all the more futile because they ignore the real nature of the confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
This is not just a local conflict. This is a new stage in Erdogan's imperialist strategy to achieve territorial continuity between different peoples with Turkish language and culture. This began with the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, will continue with the creation of a corridor between Nakhijevan and the rest of Azerbaijan. And I, for my part, refuse to let this end up as a challenge to Armenia as a state and a nation.
This is why I advocate that France and Europe finally choose the path of firmness, as they did with Russia. Armenia's sovereignty is worth as much as Ukraine's sovereignty! I support sanctions, up to and including the seizure of assets of the Azerbaijani leadership and an embargo on gas and oil imports from Azerbaijan until that country respects Armenian sovereignty.
Resolutions of the French Senate and National Assembly, in particular, provided for sanctions against Azerbaijan. Do French lawmakers intend to insist on application of sanctions? Will there be any other actions in parliament?
If necessary, we will take them. We will spare no effort for Armenia. In two years, the Senate and National Assembly have introduced and voted for several resolutions urging the government to recognize Nagorno Karabakh's independence and take steps to enforce the November 9, 2020 cease-fire agreement. Many parliamentarians visited Yerevan to witness to our solidarity and friendship with France. I myself visited Yerevan and Stepanakert in December 2021.
More than ever, the national perception supports Armenians and conveys the legitimate aspirations of the Armenian people to defend their sovereignty and identity. It is French society as a whole that mobilizes in favor of Armenia and pressures France and Europe to abandon the ineffectual position of near-neutrality. Many intellectuals publicly called upon the President of the Republic to intervene to save the 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh threatened by Azerbaijan with ethnic cleansing. So many humanitarian and cultural actions are organized for Armenia by associations, municipalities or institutions.
I believe that many French people today see Armenia not only as a brotherly nation with which we have such close ties, but also as a courageous guardian of European civilization, the fragility of which we now appreciate.
Against the backdrop of Baku's criminal actions, the EU continues to buy gas and calls Azerbaijan a partner. Can we speak of double standards in morality? As you said yourself, lives of Ukrainians are not more expensive than lives of Armenians...
I actually pointed out the unacceptability of double standards. What we reject when it comes to Mr. Putin, Europe tolerates when it comes to Mr. Aliyev or Mr. Erdogan. But the crimes of the latter, and this is terrible, are in many ways equal to those of Putin's!
Europe must immediately reconsider the gas agreement that the commission negotiated and signed with Aliyev. The same gas that allows the Azerbaijani army and its Turkish accomplices to commit their criminal acts, including against civilians. This is a moral scandal, but also a strategic mistake, because by deliberately throwing itself into Aliyev's arms to get out of Putin's clutches, Europe is greatly enhancing Turkey's strategy of expansion and maintaining constant tension. One day we will pay for this.
The EU has decided to deploy a new mission on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Thanks to France for its great contribution to the decision-making process. Is 100 people enough to secure the border?
Anything that contributes to Armenia's security is welcome. But this mission can only be the first step, to be followed by others.
I hope that France will take the initiative to propose an international conference for Armenia to discuss, among other things, problems that were left out in the ceasefire agreements. I mean not only the international status of Nagorno Karabakh and the return of refugees, but also the issue of prisoners of war or the protection of the cultural and religious heritage of Nagorno Karabakh. This initiative can be continued up to the point where the world community would be invited to deploy a fact-finding mission between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the Western allies of France would be invited to strengthen Armenia's military capabilities.
