Armenia Must Choose Between Confrontation and Resolution Process: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep regret that Armenia is abusing the mandate of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), which focuses on cultural and humanitarian cooperation among member states, with the explicit support and patronage of France.

It was noted that France has grossly misused its presidency status at the OIF, a body from which Azerbaijan is excluded, to include clauses directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the summit's resolutions. This has blatantly violated the established practices for document preparation in multilateral diplomatic formats and fundamental rules of multilateral negotiations, preventing even the discussion of several member states' proposals regarding these clauses.

As a result, according to the Azerbaijani side, no consensus has been reached on the provisions adopted at the OIF summit, and due to protests against some clauses in the document, reservations have been made. The Azerbaijani side noted that in this platform, where Azerbaijan is not a member, "the attempts of Armenia to impose its false narratives on the international community have failed, despite France’s overt support."

"What happened within the framework of the OIF should be viewed as a manifestation of Armenia’s selfishness in the peaceful process, with a tendency to infringe Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity whenever possible and to exploit Armenia for France's narrow interests. Azerbaijan expresses gratitude to those member states of the OIF that, despite France's overt threats and blackmail, have shown steadfast loyalty to international law and the humanitarian mandate of the OIF by firmly standing against steps directed against Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which hinder the resolution process.

Azerbaijan calls on Armenia to abandon such provocative actions and demonstrate the political will and responsibility necessary to eliminate the remaining obstacles to completing the resolution process. This includes making amendments to their Constitution and other legislative acts containing territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia must choose whether to pursue the conclusion of the resolution process or continue confrontation in all directions. Azerbaijan is committed to the resolution process it has initiated and will continue to proceed consistently in the spirit of political wisdom and responsibility," the statement concludes.