France has strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s military operations in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh with the use of heavy weapons, including against populated areas. A statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry called on UN to convene an urgent meeting of the Security Council over Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Artsakh.

"No excuse can justify such a unilateral action that threatens thousands of civilians who have already been suffering months of illegal siege and which goes against the efforts by the international community to reach a negotiated settlement.

France calls on Azerbaijan to immediately cease its offensive and return to respect for international law. It will hold Azerbaijan solely responsible for the fate of the civilian populations of Nagorno-Karabakh,” reads the statement.

France also called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. "France is working closely with its European and American partners to respond decisively to this unacceptable attack, commensurate with the threats it poses to the security of the region," the French Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

Earlier NEWS.am reported that Azerbaijan՛s Armed Forces started to use artillery along the entire line of contact in Nagorno Karabakh as of 1 p.m. on September 19, attempting to penetrate into the depth of the defense line of the Defense Forces of Nagorno Karabakh.

Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other settlements are under heavy sհelling now. The Human Rights Defender of Nagorno Karabakh, Gegham Stepanyan, reported that there are multiple casualties and injuries among civilians, including children.