Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Comments on Recall of French Ambassador

Despite accusations from the French side regarding unilateral actions by Azerbaijan, our country's steps and official statements directed at France are merely responses to that country's destructive activities. This was stated by the spokesperson of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Ayhan Hacizade.

“Despite the French accusations regarding unilateral actions by Azerbaijan, our country's steps and official statements addressed to France are merely responses to the destructive actions of that country. In spite of the defamatory campaign directed against us, we have always been open to dialogue,” he noted.

According to Hacizade, France has seriously undermined efforts to resolve relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia based on sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly through actions taken over the past three and a half years, thus exacerbating the situation. “The repeated initiation of draft documents against Azerbaijan by France in organizations such as the UN Security Council, the EU, and the International Organization of La Francophonie, as well as other international platforms, proves that the country’s aspirations to act as a neutral mediator are entirely unfounded,” Hacizade stated.

“I would like to remind that numerous unfounded accusations, insults, and threats against Azerbaijan have been adopted in the French parliament at the initiative of representatives of the ruling party, which have further questioned and harmed Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty and have recognized the former fictitious regime. During this time, the atmosphere of anti-Azerbaijan sentiment in France has led to multiple attacks on Azerbaijani embassies and damage to embassy buildings, and finally, the acts of vandalism against the bust of the prominent Azerbaijani poet Khurshidbanu Natavan have been carried out as an unimaginable step, while the lack of measures by the government to prevent these actions is part of the anti-Azerbaijani campaign,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized.

Hacizade emphasized that at the same time, the accusation of Azerbaijan's unilateral actions by France, which calls for opposition to the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), is entirely baseless. “At the same time, it is crystal clear that France’s actions, which are comprehensively arming Armenia and promoting militarization in the region, do not serve peace. Azerbaijan has repeatedly informed France that speaking in the language of threats and pressure will yield no results, and once again declares that it will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests,” he asserted.