Baku, February 28, 2025 – The Europe Today: Azerbaijan has firmly rejected recent allegations made by French Minister of the Overseas, Manuel Valls, criticizing the French government’s stance as an attempt to divert public attention from its own internal challenges.
In response to a local media inquiry, Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denounced the accusations as unfounded. “We firmly reject the views expressed by the French side, which, instead of learning from its failed foreign policy, is trying to divert public attention from the difficult situation it is in by accusing our country with unfounded allegations,” Hajizada stated.
Hajizada further emphasized that Azerbaijan, unlike France, adheres to the fundamental principles of international law in its foreign policy. He accused France of engaging in undemocratic practices and maintaining a colonial mindset in its dealings with other nations. “Although France unfairly blames Azerbaijan, which, unlike France, is guided by the fundamental norms and principles of international law in its foreign policy and in all its steps, everyone remembers this country’s undemocratic acts to continue its colonial past against different nations and peoples.”
Addressing accusations of foreign intervention, Hajizada pointed to France’s role in the South Caucasus region. He asserted that France has sought to incite further conflict by supplying Armenia with weaponry instead of supporting peace efforts. “To see who is actually involved in ‘foreign intervention,’ one just needs to look at France’s stance concerning the historical opportunities that emerged in the South Caucasus for peace and the attempts to incite another escalation in the region by equipping Armenia with weaponry.”
Hajizada also dismissed France’s allegations of ethnic cleansing, calling them hypocritical. He noted that France, as a former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group responsible for mediating the conflict, failed to condemn the displacement of nearly one million Azerbaijanis during Armenia’s occupation. “Accusations of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by France against Azerbaijan, while France was one of the co-chairs of the Minsk process and responsible for the settlement of the former conflict, and has never condemned the displacement of about 1 million Azerbaijanis as a result of Armenia’s occupation policy, is quite strange. Claims that people who voluntarily left the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan are allegedly subjected to ‘ethnic cleansing’ is nothing more than hypocrisy and distortion of facts in their own interests.”
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry demanded that France cease what it described as an unjustified disinformation campaign against Azerbaijan. “We demand the French side to stop this unjustified fake campaign against our country,” Hajizada concluded.
This exchange highlights ongoing tensions between Azerbaijan and France, particularly in light of France’s position on regional developments in the South Caucasus.
