Aliyev rejects French participation in Baku-Yerevan peace talks

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Nov 2022 12:50

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refuses the mediation of France in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process following accusations of bias.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (President.Az)

At the international conference titled Along the Middle Corridor: Geopolitics, Security, and Economy, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that France cannot participate in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan.

Aliyev argued that "less than a week after the meeting in Prague, French President Macron criticized Azerbaijan in his interview and accused us of what we did not do," adding that "this was followed by the well-known resolution of the French Senate, which is absolutely unacceptable and offensive."

Azerbaijan's president further noted that the French National Assembly then passed yet another anti-Azerbaijani resolution, and France then sought to attack us via the Francophonie Summit.

"This is unacceptable, since the Francophonie is a humanitarian organization," Aliyev said.

Aliyev further asserted that the original draft, which was written in collaboration between France and Armenia, is jam-packed with allegations and insinuations.

Nevertheless, Aliyev noted that Baku also has allies across Europe and the Non-Aligned Movement. Consequently, this resolution, thus, is formally against Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani President further said: "Considering all this, it is clear that France cannot take part in the peace process. And this is not ours, and their fault, since neither the US nor Russia has ever officially taken sides. This means that the meeting on December 7 will not take place. And we will consider other alternatives. Let's see who will act as an intermediary and on what platform."

Previously, at the Prague summit on October 6, the President of the European Council and French President Emmanuel Macron were present at the European Union Council for the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two conflicting countries were ready to sign, the report noted, on the recognition of each other’s territorial integrity in line with the Charter of the United Nations and Alma Ata declaration of 1991. France, by adopting resolutions calling for the recognition of the "Nagorno Karabakh Republic" is actively disputing Baku's sovereignty over the region, and is thus adopting a policy that is destructive to the peace process.