French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory, receiving in Paris Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pachinian, who a few days ago described the situation as "explosive" on the border between the two countries .

"Azerbaijani troops must leave the sovereign territory of Armenia," Macron said, calling on the parties to "return to their positions of May 11". "The delimitation of the border between the two countries must be done exclusively within the framework of a negotiation and without any fait accompli on the ground, and even less by the use of force", he emphasized. guard, adding that France was "ready to facilitate discussions".

A series of incidents have erupted in recent weeks between the two countries, and tension remains high six months after the signing of a ceasefire after a short deadly war (6,000 dead) for the independence enclave of Nagorno Karabakh .

The conflict ended in the defeat of Armenia, forced to cede several regions forming a glacis around Nagorno Karabakh, which remained in Yerevan's hands. Last week, six Armenian soldiers were taken prisoner by troops from Baku, and Azerbaijan for its part denounced Armenian fire which left one injured.

"If the ceasefire is generally respected in Nagorno Karabakh, much remains to be done", declared Mr. Macron, insisting on "the release of all prisoners", "the lifting of restrictions on access to international organizations humanitarian aid "and" the serious problem of mined areas ". He also called for the protection of the "Christian or Muslim heritage" of the region.

"Today we are going to examine the possibilities for the post-war period. I thank France for all the humanitarian aid provided to our country", declared for his part Mr. Pachinian, welcoming the "privileged relations" between France and Armenia.