France Deems Azerbaijani Statements Unacceptable

France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers the statements made by the Azerbaijani side regarding Valérie Pécresse, the presidential candidate, after her recent visit to Nagorno-Karabakh to be unacceptable. However, they expect that from now on, French parliamentarians and officials will inform the authorities in advance about their visits. This was stated by French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during a session in the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) today, responding to questions from deputies.

“President Aliyev's words pertain to an elected official and a presidential candidate of France; they are unacceptable both in substance and form. I have conveyed this to the Azerbaijani ambassador in France,” he said.

The minister also reminded that French deputies and officials regularly inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about their foreign visits, irrespective of their purposes, citing the example of Bruno Retailleau, the leader of the Republicans' faction in the Senate (upper house), and Secretary of State Clément Beaune. Eric Ciotti, a deputy from the Republican faction who posed the question, responded that “candidate Pécresse does not intend to seek travel permission from candidate Macron.”

It is noteworthy that Valérie Pécresse, the presidential candidate from the Republican Party, visited Artsakh on December 21, 2021.