Azerbaijan's Response to France's Arms Supply to Armenia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has released a statement regarding the remarks made by the French Foreign Minister. The statement notes that on April 14, 2025, during a meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg, France's Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot made a series of anti-Azerbaijani allegations related to regional tensions, the peace process, and the Armenians currently on trial in Azerbaijan.

Despite criticizing the French minister's statement, the French ambassador in Baku reposted these allegations on their social media page. "Azerbaijan firmly rejects and condemns the accusations of France's Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, which have also been referred to by the French ambassador in Azerbaijan," stated Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykan Hacizade.

According to him, the double standards applied in French politics—particularly the statements about the desire for peace amidst actions that exacerbate the conflict—reveal a concerning contradiction. Such hypocritical politics hinder the prospects for stable peace in the region.

“France's supply of deadly weapons to Armenia, coupled with its ongoing anti-Azerbaijani stance, disrupts the peace process and sharply contradicts the concerns about regional tension expressed publicly by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot,” Hacizade added.

Although the completion of the peace agreement draft is an important event, the French side fully understands that to sign it and establish stable stability, it is essential to eliminate the main issues, notably the “territorial claims in the Constitution of Armenia,” as well as the official dissolution of the Minsk Group and other related OSCE bodies.

“Obstructing trials of those accused of crimes against humanity is not only an intervention in the country's sovereignty but also disrupts the process of holding accountable for horrific atrocities. Such interventions by France serve to maintain impunity by protecting the guilty,” said the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. He also added that instead of interfering in regional affairs, France should abandon its neo-colonial policies, especially in its overseas territories and Africa. “We demand that France cease actions that do not serve peace and undermine the stability of the region,” Hacizade stated.