Azerbaijan slams French President Macron’s remarks at UN General Assembly as "biased"

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments at the United Nations General Assembly, where he expressed solidarity with Armenia.

Macron’s claim that "France stands shoulder to shoulder with Armenia in the conditions of Azerbaijan's pressures on Armenia and territorial claims" has been met with a strong response from Baku, Caliber.Az reports citing the ministry's statement.

Aykhan Hajizada, the spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, condemned Macron's remarks, labelling them as further evidence of France’s biased stance in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. "French President Emmanuel Macron's statement at the UN General Assembly on September 25 that ‘France stands shoulder to shoulder with Armenia in the conditions of Azerbaijan's pressures on Armenia and territorial claims’ is another example of France's biased pro-Armenian approach to both our country and the peace process in general," Hajizada said.

The Azerbaijani official went on to criticize France for arming Armenia, accusing the French government of encouraging Armenian revanchism. "It is unacceptable that France, which is preparing Armenia for revanchism while extensively arming it, accuses Azerbaijan of coercion," Hajizada stated.

He also pointed out the historical background of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, noting that Armenia had occupied Azerbaijani territories for nearly 30 years. "France presenting Armenia as a peace-loving country while Armenia occupied Azerbaijan's territories for nearly 30 years, displaced nearly one million Azerbaijanis, committed massacres and crimes against humanity, and ignored the right of return of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who were deported en masse from its territory clearly demonstrates how unjust French policy is," the spokesperson added.

In closing, Hajizada called for France to reconsider its actions in the South Caucasus and criticized its foreign policy as being ineffective on a global scale. "We urge an immediate halt to damaging actions of France in our region, considering that its foreign policy has failed in many regions of the world," he concluded.