Neo-imperial Paris vs Baku's peace initiatives Clash in Caucasus

Armenian media is actively discussing the call of French President Emmanuel Macron to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during which the latter firmly expressed Baku's position on the situation in Garabagh, in particular, on the issue of functioning of Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads, because of which the Armenian side made a universal fuss.

As it was before, during the telephone conversation, President Aliyev made it clear to Macron that Baku, regardless of any political manipulations by Yerevan, would not retreat from its decisions related, in particular, to strict control at the Lachin checkpoint and travel on certain roads.

The Azerbaijani leader voiced several important arguments pointing to the fact that it is Armenia that is derailing the peaceful agenda for the settlement of the situation in the region, which is being intensively promoted by Azerbaijan.

In particular, the Azerbaijani leader drew the attention of the French President to the fact that it was Armenia that practically abandoned the preliminary agreement reached on the transportation of goods on the Aghdam-Khankendi road through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and that it was on the instructions of the Armenian leadership that, as Armenia claims, humanitarian goods were brought to the state border without coordination with the Azerbaijani side. As Ilham Aliyev noted, these actions of Yerevan cannot be regarded as anything but political speculation.

At the same time, the Azerbaijani president reminded his interlocutor that the Armenian side refuses to discuss the reintegration of Garabagh Armenians into Azerbaijani society, while Baku does everything possible for its realization.

Finally, Aliyev informed Macron that the opening of the Aghdam-Khankendi road does not exclude the use of the Lachin-Khankendi highway, provided that the rules of the customs and border regime of Azerbaijan are observed.

As it is known, on August 29, a convoy of vehicles was sent to Khankendi by the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society to deliver food cargo there, which caused a negative reaction both in Armenia and in the separatist junta.

For starters, judging by caustic headlines in Armenian media and the generally unhealthy frenzy over the food cargo sent from Baku to Khankendi, the plans of the Armenian side do not include a peaceful resolution of the situation in the region at all.

Secondly, it shows that the Armenians of Azerbaijan’s Garabagh economic region do not really have any problems with food, as Yerevan tries to present it.

Despite all of this, Armenia's position, which contradicts Azerbaijan's peaceful policy, is also shared in France. And although Macron insists that Paris is ready to contribute to the elimination of tensions in the region, he and his government, supporting Yerevan, are launching one after another anti-Azerbaijani propaganda campaigns.

In Macron's telephone conversation with Aliyev, the French president again assured that Paris was ready to contribute to stabilising the situation and proposed to continue contact between the relevant structures of France and Azerbaijan.

However, this has happened before: France expressed its desire to communicate with Azerbaijan and then pursued exactly the opposite policy, ignoring and infringing Baku's interests. It would seem that Paris has enough to deal with, primarily, the rupture of African states with the former metropolis, which put the country in a difficult political and economic situation.

Nevertheless, the French authorities, having chosen Armenia as their favourite and very much hoping for its help in securing Paris' position in the South Caucasus, do not stop making efforts to further aggravate the situation in this region.

For example, adhering to a strictly pro-Armenian position and using its opportunities in the European Union and Russia's weakening due to the war in Ukraine, France succeeded in sending a reconnaissance and surveillance mission to Armenia, which dealt a blow to the negotiation process and actually rudely interfered in the peace process in the South Caucasus.

All this shows that Paris has not given up its imperial ambitions and is making concrete plans to gain a foothold in the South Caucasus region. There are many facts that confirm Paris' consistently pro-Armenian policy, which it displayed both during Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories and after Azerbaijan's victory.

Suffice it to recall how in November 2022, the French Senate adopted a resolution blatantly violating international law and directed against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, proposing to apply sanctions against Baku. Such resolutions are not adopted without the agreement of the government.

In addition, the Senate's decision fundamentally contradicted the Treaty of Friendship, Understanding and Cooperation signed between Azerbaijan and France on December 20, 1993, which seems to imply mutual recognition of the integrity and sovereignty of both countries.

The hypocritical policy of the French president is also confirmed by the fact that just before the Senate adopted the above-mentioned resolution, Macron called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and offered him his "neutral mediation" and stated France's desire to "contribute" to the process of normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. But the further course of events showed that the French politician's words and actions are at odds with each other when it comes to Armenia, the agent of France's interests in the South Caucasus.