Envoy: Azerbaijan optimistic on France relations as peace with Armenia nears

Azerbaijan expects its strained relations with France to normalize in the near future, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Leyla Abdullayeva stated in an interview with French media.

Commenting on the current political turbulence in France, Ambassador Abdullayeva acknowledged that internal developments in Paris could influence external diplomatic dynamics. However, she expressed cautious optimism regarding bilateral ties, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

"Obviously, the internal crisis [in France] may have an impact on other sectors, but we will see how it ends. Although we do not see a direct impact of the crisis on our bilateral relations, we hope that they will soon normalize," she said.

According to Abdullayeva, relations between Baku and Paris have soured in recent years due to what she described as France's "biased position" on the Baku-Yerevan conflict—one that Azerbaijan considers to have been resolved. She emphasized that the current geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus presents a rare opportunity for sustainable peace.

"We have really closed the page of hostility between our countries. And at the moment, there is only one thing that stands before the final signing of peace—this is the constitution of Armenia. All we want is for territorial claims against Azerbaijan to be eliminated. And after that, we will be able to confidently talk about lasting peace," the ambassador stressed.

Abdullayeva underscored that significant progress has already been made between Azerbaijan and Armenia, pointing to the peace treaty initialed in Washington as a symbol of mutual commitment.

"<...> This was, in fact, an obligation of both sides to establish good neighborliness on the principles of respect for sovereignty, respect for the inviolability of international borders, and the inadmissibility of the use of force," she said.

The ambassador concluded by highlighting the broader significance of these developments, characterizing them as exceptional within a historically unstable region.

"The South Caucasus is today one of the rare regions where we see positive development and visible results of two countries that have embarked on the path to peace and cooperation. This is the case of Azerbaijan and Armenia: two countries that were in conflict," she added.

By Vafa Guliyeva