Le Figaro and the politics of fantasy A mirror of France’s decline

“Khobotov, that’s petty!” — exclaimed one of the characters in the well-known Soviet film Pokrovsky Gates, which, incidentally, was written by Baku native Yefim Gurevich. This quote perfectly captures France’s actions towards Azerbaijan. What adds a special flavour to this latest wave of French pettiness—generously seasoned with foolishness and lies—is that the entire farce has played out on the pages of Le Figaro.

The publication, which turns two hundred next year, recently released a piece claiming that Paris is accusing Baku of “interference and manipulation on the territory of France and its overseas territories” amid rising tensions between the two capitals. Ooh là là—so much packed into a single sentence!

To paraphrase the noble Athos from The Three Musketeers, we might say: for a small country like Azerbaijan, that sounds grand. But for the leading state of the South Caucasus—the first and only to have restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity—it comes off as rather petty.

And that was just the introduction. The article goes on to quote France’s Minister for Overseas Territories, Manuel Valls, who condemned what he called “attempts at destabilisation” following a letter from the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), which had offered to mediate in talks on the future of New Caledonia.

“In the face of these attempts at destabilisation aimed at our unity, France will always respond firmly and mercilessly,” Valls declared in an official ministry statement.

Oh, my! It’s quite possible that the monsieur with the dance-inspired surname is still basking in the glow of his own “bravery.” But the real question remains: what exactly was provocative about BIG’s proposal?

Official Paris is clearly struggling to deal with the real issues—ones openly raised by leaders of France’s overseas territories, including during visits to Baku. So BIG simply offered to help. Where’s the destabilisation in that?

Azerbaijan once agreed to France’s participation as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, fully aware of the pro-Armenian leanings within the French political elite. At the time, Baku assumed that Paris would at least be guided to some extent by international law rather than personal sympathies for an occupying state. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met.

As a result, many French politicians, including presidential candidates, visited Azerbaijan’s temporarily occupied territories. What’s more, several French cities signed twinning agreements with settlements that were under Armenian occupation.

We also remember the shameful and utterly meaningless resolution adopted by the French Senate recognising the mythical "independence of Artsakh"—passed almost immediately after Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day war. This move served as yet another demonstration of Paris’s bias and its anti-Azerbaijani stance.

Azerbaijan has fully restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, despite France’s expectations to the contrary. That’s why hysterical statements or publications from the French media are met in Azerbaijan with about the same attention as noise outside the window—barely worth a glance from the top of the Flame Towers.

Especially when the latest anti-Azerbaijani jab appeared in the very outlet where Jean-Christophe Buisson—deputy editor-in-chief and a regular author of propaganda-style screeds parroting Armenian narratives—is on the masthead.

For Buisson, it makes little difference what the occasion is—any excuse will do to spout nonsense about our country. In November 2023, he publicly expressed outrage over the election of an Azerbaijani representative as Vice-President of UNESCO’s General Conference, calling it a “disgrace.” Yet any reasonable person would agree that the real disgrace was the occupation of 20% of another country’s territory and the blatant disregard for relevant UN resolutions.

Buisson has his own peculiar ideas about honour and morality—ones that align perfectly with those of official Paris, which is now actively arming Armenia and encouraging it toward another war.

Baku has repeatedly reminded the world of this, so that no one feigns surprise at the strength of our potential response—not because France’s stance could alter the reality on the ground, but because it exposes the pettiness of its approach. A country barely managing its own domestic challenges and overseas territories now issues cartoonish threats to Azerbaijan—for offering assistance, no less.

It all looks petty—and frankly, laughable.