Azerbaijani MFA rebukes French Interior Minister's insulting remarks France must apologize!

A spokesman for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada responded to media inquiries regarding recent remarks by Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Interior of France, who referred to Azerbaijan as a dictatorship in an interview with France-2 and previous speeches.

Hajizada condemned such statements as completely unacceptable and strongly rejected them on behalf of Azerbaijan, per Caliber.Az.

"Fundamental rights and freedoms are completely secured in Azerbaijan, in contrast to France, where human rights are grossly violated, protesters are killed during riots, and there is widespread Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims, as well as anti-Semitism," reads the commentary.

"Azerbaijan has always been shaped and grown as a society committed to democratic values since the restoration of its independence. Azerbaijan is a country where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds coexist in a friendly and secure environment," says the message.

Hajizada called for an apology from the French side for the remarks, warning that failure to do so would have negative consequences for Azerbaijan-France relations.