France's Macron told Azerbaijani President cease-fire must be respected

French President Emmanuel Macron told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call on Wednesday that a cease-fire that took effect earlier in the day in Nagorno-Karabakh must be respected. The president also said that guarantees must be provided on the rights and safety of the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in respect of international law, the French Presidency said in a statement.

Azerbaijan said on Wednesday it had halted military action in its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh after its battlefield success forced Armenian separatist forces to agree to a ceasefire that will see the area fully return to Baku's control.