"Armenians aim to incite diplomatic conflict between Baku and Paris"
French lawyer on Caliber.Az

INTERVIEWS  28 October 2022 - 17:41

"There are no debates on Armenian-Azerbaijani issues in France today, there are no media discussions, only one-sided, pro-Armenian information is broadcast."

Our compatriot Zaur Sadigbayli, a lawyer living in France, made the remarks in an interview with Caliber.Az.

The interlocutor of Caliber.Az noted that the Armenian Diaspora organises round tables in the country, to which it invites only Armenians and pro-Armenian figures.

There is no such thing as a debate. Only Armenians and pro-Armenian Frenchmen are present, and they speak in unison about the conflict between Baku and Yerevan," he stated.

According to Sadigbayli, the adoption of the draft resolution, which was prepared by six members of the French Senate and calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan, may result in the rupture of Paris-Baku diplomatic relations.

"In France, the government takes the legislative initiative, but the parliament can propose a bill, as in the case of the so-called 'genocide' of Armenians. Now we can see a similar story. The draft resolution will be discussed as well. However, we should not forget that we are talking about the French parliament, not the media field that the Armenian lobby has monopolised.

Usually, in order to maintain balance, a survey of the ambassadors, in this case of Azerbaijan and Armenia, is conducted. The last time the ambassadors' poll was held in 2020. Azerbaijani Ambassador Rahman Mustafayev spoke then. The debate was heated. But the most important thing is that this is not a closed meeting, but a public poll of the ambassador, live, so there is an opportunity to refute the ridiculous accusations against our country. And there will be charges. The Armenian ambassador will tell a 'terrible' story about the 'long-suffering' people. If a survey of diplomats is also conducted this time, it can be referred to as Leyla Abdullayeva's baptism of fire as Azerbaijan's new ambassador to France. The catch is that the ambassadors from both sides (Azerbaijan to France, and France to Azerbaijan) have not yet presented their credentials. In such processes, large countries like France apply the principle of reciprocity, which means that until the French ambassador to Azerbaijan receives an agreeman and is appointed, they will also put sticks in our ambassador's wheels.

The Senate resolution being prepared has the intent of imposing sanctions on Azerbaijani hydrocarbons. But there are two other points to consider. First, I believe that the Armenians will lack the strength to carry out their plans, as was the case with the 'genocide' plans because this could lead to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Baku and Paris. Despite the fact that this is the goal of the Armenian Diaspora. They want Paris and Baku to sever diplomatic ties and thereby free France's hands.

They can push through a resolution in both chambers, but in order to give it some force, the law must be signed by the president. Macron will bear the majority of the blame in this regard. And here the big responsibility will fall on Macron. And his attacks towards Azerbaijan are more like pre-election gestures to gain the votes of French Armenians. Nevertheless, there is a consensus in the lower and upper chambers of France on the Armenian-Azerbaijani issue, which is very dangerous. In order to correct the situation in its favour, Azerbaijan must actively and professionally resist the Armenian propaganda in France. You need to work in this direction 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Second, if we assume that some sanctions will be imposed on Azerbaijan, then theoretically, on the principle of full reciprocity, French companies operating in Azerbaijan will have to suspend their activities. But then the question arises: what will happen to those contracts that have already been signed? There are rules and they must be followed. In short, it's Pandora's box. If France adopts this resolution, a chain mechanism will start. In addition, Macron is openly lying when he says that 'French values and principles cannot be bought for either gas or oil'. Several European countries have gas contracts with Azerbaijan, in particular Italy. Baku actually sells energy resources to the EU, but this is included in group purchases. Oil and gas are supplied to the common market and further distributed across the EU countries, this is part of the general formula of the European economy, of which France is also a part. Azerbaijan supplies gas to Italy, and through Italy, the gas goes to France. That is if the resolution is adopted, will Paris refuse Azerbaijani gas that goes through Italy? As we can see, Macron is hypocritical. We have been observing this for a long time," Sadigbayli said.

In his opinion, the skillfully falsified history of Armenians is presented in French society.

"The French think that Armenians are 'victims', although in fact, our neighbours use a fictional 'genocide' to hide their crimes. And they have been promoting their false narratives in France for several decades.

With the word Armenia or Armenian, the first associations that arise in the French are the oldest territory, the oldest Christian nation in the world. The population in French-speaking countries is very unfamiliar with our region's history, and these Armenian theses are already programmed in their heads.

As for Karabakh specifically, the French believe that there have been Armenian churches there since ancient times. And when we tell the French the real history of Karabakh, about the khanates, about the cultural and material heritage of the Azerbaijanis, it becomes a great discovery for them, they experience a real shock. The work of the Azerbaijani diaspora is precisely to present all this competently, inform and educate [the French]. It is impossible to remain silent, it is necessary to tell the real history of Karabakh by all means. If we do not actively resist the Armenian lies, then we will have problems in all French-speaking countries, first of all, in France itself," Sadigbayli summed up.

Caliber.Az