Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Accuses Macron: "Armenia is an Occupying State"

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of attempting to disrupt the peace process between Yerevan and Baku.

“Unfortunately, the views of French President Emmanuel Macron at the summit of the European political community, which justify Armenia's militarization policy and exhibit an overtly biased stance towards Azerbaijan, are yet another vivid example of France's attempts to create tension in the region and obstruct the peace process,” stated Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ayhan Hacizade.

“Any efforts by Azerbaijan, including the strengthening of its military capabilities, are directed towards achieving a just purpose. However, the same cannot be said about Armenia, which is an occupying state. The portrayal of Armenia by France as a peaceful country, which has kept Azerbaijani territories under occupation for 30 years, displaced one million Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands, and committed mass killings and crimes against humanity, demonstrates how unjust that country’s policy is both in mediation and after the 44-day Patriotic War.

We would also like to remind that the policies of states such as France, which have not contributed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, have prevented Armenia from ending the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and have covered up Armenia's aggression for almost 30 years. In light of the above, we reiterate that France's efforts, which do not serve peace and destabilize the region, will yield no results,” the statement from the country's Foreign Ministry concludes.