Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the latest situation in the Lachin district in Karabakh. According to a statement by the press service of the Azerbaijani president, the phone talk was held on Friday at the initiative of the French leader, who wanted to speak about relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the situation on the road leading to the city of Khankendi through the Lachin district of Azerbaijan. “Regarding the situation on the road leading to the city of Khankendi through Lachin district of Azerbaijan, the head of state (Aliyev) noted that representatives of the civil society of Azerbaijan protest against the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits in the country’s territories, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, and serious damage to the environment as a result of this exploitation,” the statement said. Aliyev emphasized that nothing hinders the use of the road for civil and humanitarian purposes and that the passage of medical vehicles is ensured through the local office of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Azerbaijani president said that “the main demand of the civil society representatives is to stop the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits and to ensure environmental monitoring activities in the territory,” the statement noted. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a 44-day war in September 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions. The war, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal, saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years. Aliyev reminded to Macron that Armenia still occupies eight villages belonging to Azerbaijan and stressed the importance of “balanced and impartial behavior in relation to regional issues,” pointing out “anti-Azerbaijan activities in Francophonie and some other international organizations,” calling them “regrettable.”