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Guest in Franceinfo’s “19/20”, Laurence Boone used this term that the government had avoided until now.
What is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh is “a crime”, declared Laurence Boone, the Secretary of State in charge of Europe, guest on Wednesday October 4 on Franceinfo’s “19/20”. According to the minister, the situation in this separatist territory, where Azerbaijan led a military offensive pushing thousands of Armenians into exile, “still strongly resembles” has a “ethnic cleansing”.
This term was for the moment avoided by the entire government, as well as by several lawyers interviewed by franceinfo. “There is no legal qualification for ethnic cleansing”however, recalled Laurence Bonne, “but what we see today are forced displacements and as the President of the Assembly did, we can also call it ethnic cleansing”.
“There cannot be double standards”
Also questioned about possible sanctions that Europe could impose on Azerbaijan, the Secretary of State hoped “a little more voluntarism” of certain European partners, citing sanctions identical to those imposed on Russia, “either against individuals or against entities”.
She also positioned herself in favor of more frank aid to Armenia: “There cannot be double standards”said Laurence Boone. “We cannot do things for Ukraine or Moldova and all of a sudden remain silent about Armenia.” These subjects will be on the agenda of the summit of Twenty-Seven which opens Friday in Granada, Spain.
The Secretary of State for Europe also spoke on the agreement reached by the EU on migration. Laurence Boone detailed the relocation mechanisms that this text provides: “Either you accept a certain number of migrants, or you do not want to accept any, and then you contribute financially to the States which accept migrants.”