Turkish diplomat unmasks France's real agenda behind anti-Azerbaijan policy Hulusi Kilich speaks to AZERTAG

The status-quo established by Azerbaijan and Türkiye through the signing of the Shusha Declaration has raised glaring concerns within France and its allies. Aiming to inflict maximum damage on peace in the South Caucasus, Paris is actively arming Yerevan while simultaneously criticizing any initiatives trying to open transport routes, including the Zangazur Corridor.

This view was expressed by Hulusi Kilich, the former Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan and representative of the Turkish IMZA Social Development Support Association in his recent interview to Azerbaijan's State News Agency, Azertag.

According to Kilich, France is obstructing efforts to build mutually beneficial relations in the region and is attempting to interfere with the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"The enemies of Baku can still not accept the results of the 44-day Patriotic War, the historic victory led by Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. This is why the bribed Armenian circles in the West are repeatedly launching smear campaigns," he believes.

As an example of Paris' bias stance, Kilich has`pointed to the French authorities' attitude towards the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan. He recalled that French Minister of Ecology, Agnès Pannier-Runacher was supposed to participate in the global climate discussions.

"Paris understood that participating in the global climate summit would force France to answer for the environmental problems created by the country. Additionally, Baku's clear position on the inadmissibility of infringing on the rights of peoples suffering from colonialism was also a factor. As a result, the French authorities, under fabricated pretexts, refused to attend the UN environmental summit," Kilich stated.

He pointed out that French media, acting under government direction, started spreading anti-Azerbaijani propaganda, publishing open threats against Azerbaijan and calling for a boycott of COP29. According to the Turkish diplomat, "the hysteria surrounding Azerbaijan was systematic, aimed at maximizing the damage to the image of the host country of the global climate summit and minimizing the number of COP29 participants."

The former ambassador stressed that the French authorities openly ignored universally recognized principles of international relations, disregarding the fact that the decision to hold the climate summit in Azerbaijan was unanimous.

"It is regrettable that the UN did not provide the necessary support to the official Baku. As a diplomat and a former ambassador with many years of experience, I can unequivocally say that the UN should have responded to France's actions differently. Which of the [international] organizations openly criticized France's illegal actions, including [those] in overseas territories? These are double standards!" Kilich stressed.

At the same time, he confidently stated that no European country could have organized a climate summit at such a high level as Azerbaijan did.

Kilich linked the intensification of anti-Azerbaijani actions in the West to the upcoming trial of Armenian separatists and terrorists. "Those, that try to prevent Armenian separatists and terrorists from being fairly judged, shamelessly position themselves as representatives of democratic states. Driven by the Armenian lobby, Baku's opponents 'forget' about the confessions made by terrorist leaders that personally ordered rocket attacks on Ganja. This is a case of 'double standards' and the true face of certain countries, which we are well-aware of," the former ambassador emphasized.

Kilich expressed confidence that the true mission of these forces is stray Azerbaijan away from its intended course, abandon the defense of it’s national interests and generally weaken it’s state institutions.

He believes that the support of the people is the main fuel that drives the success of the policies by President Ilham Aliyev and the government of Azerbaijan, who are united around the direction laid out by the national leader, Heydar Aliyev. 

"I am confident that Azerbaijan, under the leadership of a strong and successful leader, will achieve all its declared goals. Baku has a strong ally in the Turkish people and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The future lies with the Turkic world and the Organization of Turkic States," Kilich concluded.

By Nazrin Sadigova