Commentary of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the statement by the President of France against Azerbaijan in the interview dated October 12, 2022

French President Emmanuel Macron's statement against Azerbaijan in his interview dated October 12, 2022, more aimed at a domestic audience, completely one-sided and openly defending Armenia, is unacceptable, and we reject the groundless accusations made by the French head of state against Azerbaijan.

The President of France is the one who did not say a word about the almost 30-year-long occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, its illegal activities on these lands, a gross violation of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, disregarding the fundamental principles of international law, failure to fulfill the resolutions of the UN Security Council, despite the fact that his country is the co-chair of the Minsk Group. The President of France, unfortunately, is still silent about Armenia's failure to fulfill the provisions of the trilateral declaration and threats to security in the region by planting landmines in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, in turn, considering the inability of the Minsk Group to operate at the moment, did not say “no” to the mediation initiatives of the French President in the process of normalization of relations between the two countries, and so far, quadrilateral meetings have been held on February 4, 2022 and October 6, 2022, with the mediation of E. Macron. However, the views expressed by the French President against Azerbaijan seriously question the neutrality and impartiality of his mediation efforts.

France's unilateral position and groundless accusations in response to Azerbaijan's attempts to ensure peace, stability, and development in the region, to normalize relations based on respect for the principles of international law, make it necessary to reconsider the mediation efforts of this country.