BAKU, Oct. 6 The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called » hypocrisy» statement by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Baku's refusal to attend a trilateral meeting in Granada.
The day before the meeting, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused a five-way meeting in the Armenia-Azerbaijan-France-Germany-EU format scheduled for October 5. In addition, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled his trip to Spain. Macron yesterday in Granada expressed regret over the absence of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey at the summit of the European Political Community. He said he would call Aliyev again to “keep the pressure” on Azerbaijan. According to him, the main problems remain the humanitarian situation in Armenia, “caused by the actions of Azerbaijan,” and the dispute over the border of the two countries.
“We strongly condemn and reject the unfounded accusations made by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron against Azerbaijan on October 5 during a press conference within the framework of the meeting of the European Political Community in Granada. The statements of the French President about the refusal of the participation of Azerbaijan and Turkey in Granada are an example of hypocrisy. Each of «The participants of the event are well aware that it was the French side that opposed Turkey's participation in the meeting. The French President voicing false information on this issue is an approach inappropriate for the head of state,» the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a release.
According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, “it is unacceptable that France, which is remembered in history for its policy of genocide and is the only country among the EU member states that has not acceded to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, is trying to teach a lesson about minority rights to Azerbaijan, where many ethnic peoples live in peace and tranquility and who sets an example with its multicultural and multi-ethnic values.»
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also noted that accusing France of “occupying” 150 square kilometers of Armenian territories by Azerbaijan looks ridiculous, while “France itself turned a blind eye to the occupation of about 20% of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia for 30 years.” .
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Karabakh, one of the goals of which was the dissolution of all bodies of unrecognized Karabakh. Yerevan characterized these actions as aggression, saying that there are no Armenian units in Karabakh. A day later, through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, an agreement on a ceasefire was reached; among the conditions of the truce, in particular, the disarmament of the Armenian formations was outlined. Afterwards, several rounds of negotiations between representatives of Karabakh and Baku took place, dedicated to the integration of the region into the republic. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity.