Azernews.Az

BAKU – A German-French TV channel has cancelled the repeat broadcast of an anti-Azerbaijani film following protests from the Azerbaijani government and the diaspora.

ARTE TV has acknowledged the international community's position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Elchin Amirbayov told local news agencies.

The TV channel is familiar with its government's position on the issue and is sensitive to the issue of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, ARTE TV President Jerome Clement wrote in a recent letter to the Azerbaijani embassy in France.

On July 14, ARTE TV broadcast and posted on its website the film, "Haut Karabakh: Gomchassar," by Jean-Marie Barre, which covers the Karabakh conflict.

The purpose of the film was to inform the French audience about the traditions and nature of Nagorno Karabakh, not to reflect upon the geopolitical situation in the mountainous region, the letter said.

Earlier, the embassy sent a letter of protest to ARTE TV. Following the embassy's response, the broadcaster's management decided to cancel the re-run of the film scheduled for July 21.

Nagorno Karabakh is an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Nagorno Karabakh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Years of peace talks have brought few tangible results.