Azerbaijan's MFA: Attempts of France to lecture Azerbaijan is completely unacceptable

We strongly condemn and reject the baseless anti-Azerbaijan allegations of French President Emmanuel Macron voiced on October 5 during the press conference held in the scope of Granada meeting of the European Political Community, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

The statement of Foreign Ministry reads:

"Allegations of the French President on the refusal of Azerbaijan and Türkiye to participate in the Granada meeting are a clear case of hypocrisy. The participants of this event are well aware of the particular opposition of France to Türkiye’s participation in the meeting. The French President spreading false information on this issue is improper behavior for the head of state.

Attempts of France to lecture Azerbaijan, a country setting an example with its multicultural and multiethnic values, where many ethnicities live in peace and prosperity, on the issue of rights of minorities, while France itself is being remembered for its genocide policy and remaining the only EU member state not to be part of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, is completely unacceptable.

How France, which is now talking about “fair mediation”, mediated during the period of 23 years is well-known. Intentions of France are obvious when it states being a neutral mediator while ignoring the massacres against Azerbaijanis, and their livelihood when they became Internally Displaced Persons and refugees by use of force, disregarding the four UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the razing of cities and villages to the ground, and looking the other way while Armenia, contrary to its obligations, failed to withdraw its armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan and continued its military and political provocations.

It is ridiculous that France, which has turned a blind eye to the occupation of about 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan by Armenia for 30 years and to the fact that Armenia is still occupying 8 villages of Azerbaijan, accuses our country of the occupation of 150 square kilometers of the territory of Armenia. Azerbaijan has not occupied the territory of any country, and the assertion that the territories on which the forces of Azerbaijan are deployed on the undelimited border belong to Armenia is completely illogical.

The legitimate right of Azerbaijan within the scope of the UN Charter and norms and principles of international law to end the occupation of its territories both diplomatically and militarily has always existed. It was the mediation efforts involving France failing to yield results and the failure to prevent Armenia's aggressive policy that led Azerbaijan to liberate its lands militarily.

Similarly, the necessity to remove the Armenian armed forces, which had not been withdrawn from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan before the anti-terrorist measures, as well as to abolish the puppet regime was repeatedly stressed by Azerbaijan during the entire negotiation process. In this regard, claims of the French President on Azerbaijan’s alleged promise of not using force against the illegal separatist regime are baseless. If France directed Armenia on the right path instead of making false promises, there would have been no need to resolve the threat against Azerbaijan by force, and the issue would have been solved peacefully.

We would like to remind France calling for pressure on Azerbaijan that it is pointless and unacceptable to speak with Azerbaijan in the language of pressure. It would be more beneficial for France to put an end to its insidious policy aimed at supporting and arming aggressive Armenia in our region, hindering peace and stability in the region, instead of issuing such irresponsible statements.

Azerbaijan is taking measures for the reintegration of its Armenian residents within its Constitution and relevant legislation, and our country, as always, remains the most interested party in building peace in the region on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity with Armenia."