Political scientist accuses France of hypocrisy in Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict Amid New Caledonia tensions

Rachel Avraham, an Israel-based editor, journalist, and political analyst, CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, has criticized France's approach to the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, calling it hypocritical.

In remarks featured in an article on the Foreign Policy Association website, Avraham argued that France has unjustly supported Armenian separatism and terrorist activities in the Karabakh region, Caliber.Az reports.

The article, titled "France, Azerbaijan and New Caledonia," highlights a recent diplomatic impasse between France and Azerbaijan, sparked by demonstrations in New Caledonia. These protests originated from a debate surrounding a new law that pro-independence advocates say discriminates against the indigenous Kanak population.

Instead of evaluating its foreign policy and addressing the implications of its actions, the French government has sought to scapegoat Azerbaijan for the unrest in New Caledonia, according to the author.

Moreover, the article points to France's longstanding double standard in its dealings with the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. It notes that in 2020, both chambers of the French parliament pushed for the recognition of the "Republic of Artsakh," a self-proclaimed entity in Karabakh, in a bid to undermine Azerbaijan's legitimate claim to territorial integrity—an action that even Armenia itself did not recognize.