France remembers its ambassador to Azerbaijan, accuses Baku of ‘damaging’ ties | EUROtoday

Issued on: 16/04/2024 – 21:40

1 min

President Emmanuel Macron acquired ambassador Anne Boillon in Paris to debate the problem, the international ministry mentioned in an announcement, accusing Azerbaijan of constant “in recent months unilateral actions damaging to the relationship between our two countries”.

Relations between Azerbaijan and France — a standard ally of Armenia and host itself to a major Armenian diaspora neighborhood — have lengthy been affected by tensions centered on the Azerbaijani area of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Seized by Armenian separatists in a conflict because the USSR fell, Azerbaijani forces regained management of a lot of the area in a 2020 battle after which the remaining half within the lightning September 2023 offensive.

Macron and different French officers have lengthy voiced concern Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev won’t cease there and has designs on Armenian territory.

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In his assembly with Boillon, the French president mentioned he “regretted Azerbaijan’s actions and expressed a wish for clarification by the Azerbaijani side of its intentions”, the international ministry mentioned.

There have been makes an attempt to maneuver ahead talks on normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia however these to this point have made little progress.

“France reiterates its support for the normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, while respecting international law and the territorial integrity of the two countries,” the ministry mentioned.

As relations with Moscow fray, Armenia can be more and more counting on defence cooperation with France.

In February, Armenia agreed a deal for the acquisition of precision rifles from French arms producer PGM, although its price ticket was not disclosed.

In October 2023, France introduced the sale of defence tools — three radar methods and night time imaginative and prescient goggles — to Armenia, scary anger from Azerbaijan.

(AFP)