Azerbaijan condemns French President Macron's remarks at European Summit

Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's recent comments at the European Political Community Summit in Woodstock, United Kingdom.

Hajizada described Macron's comments at the press conference as a clear demonstration of France's attempts to incite regional tension and hinder the peace process by supporting Armenia's militarization policy and showing clear bias against Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s website.

"Unfortunately, the remarks by the French President Emmanuel Macron at the European Political Community Summit justifying Armenia’s militarization policy and displaying open bias against Azerbaijan is another vivid example of France’s efforts to create tension in the region and obstruct the peace process," the diplomat stressed.

Hajizada underscored Azerbaijan's position regarding the conflict with Armenia, emphasizing the legitimacy of Azerbaijan's actions under international law. "We remind France of the fact that Azerbaijan’s war to end Armenia’s 30-years-long occupation on its sovereign territories and to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was our legitimate right under international law," he asserted. He further noted that Azerbaijan's military efforts were aimed at a just cause, unlike what he described as Armenia's aggressive actions.

The spokesperson also criticized France's portrayal of Armenia as a peaceful nation, highlighting the prolonged occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the associated humanitarian crises.

"Presenting Armenia by France as a peaceful country, which occupied the territories of Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years, displaced almost one million Azerbaijanis from their native lands, and committed massacres and crimes against humanity, demonstrates how unfair is the policy of this country conducted both during its mediation period and following the 44-day patriotic war," Hajizada said.

He added that France's policies have historically hindered the peaceful resolution of the conflict. "It was the policy of countries like France covering up Armenia’s aggression for almost 30 years that did not contribute to a peaceful resolution, preventing the end of Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories," Hajizada remarked.

In conclusion, Hajizada reiterated Azerbaijan's stance on France's role in the region. "In light of the aforementioned, we reiterate once again that the efforts of France, which do not serve peace and destabilize the situation in the region, will not yield any results," he stated.