France calls its ambassador in Azerbaijan for consultations to protest Baku's “unilateral actions”

April 16 () –

France called its ambassador to Azerbaijan, Anne Boillon, for consultations this Tuesday to protest the “unilateral actions” that Baku has taken in recent months and which, according to Paris, have damaged the bilateral relationship.

The French Foreign Ministry has reported in a statement that the president, Emmanuel Macron, has received Boillon to express his disagreement with the latest actions carried out by Baku. “He expressed the wish that the Azerbaijani side would clarify his intentions,” he added.

“France reiterates its support for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, respecting International Law and the territorial integrity of the two countries. This standardization will benefit both countries and the entire region,” he concluded.

Azerbaijan asked France in January to end its “intervention in the internal affairs” of the country following criticism from Paris of Azeri authorities' arrest in December of a Frenchman suspected of espionage.

The detainee, identified as Martin Rayan, was arrested on December 4, 2023 on suspicion of espionage. Afterwards, the French Foreign Ministry called the arrest “arbitrary” and demanded his “immediate” release.

Baku announced the expulsion of two diplomats for visiting the detainee, arguing that they were carrying out actions “incompatible” with their diplomatic status. For its part, France declared two Azeri diplomats 'persona non grata' and stated that it “categorically” rejected Azerbaijan's accusations.

Diplomatic ties between both countries have been tense since France has established itself as a key ally of Armenia, with whom Azerbaijan maintains a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which it finally managed to recover after an offensive launched in September.

Nagorno Karabakh is a territory of about 4,400 square kilometers in the South Caucasus recovered by Azerbaijan in a military offensive of just 24 hours that began on September 19, after the wars between 1988 and 1994 and that of 2020. Until then the area, Armenian majority, had been under the control of pro-Armenian forces for more than three decades despite the fact that the international community recognized the region as Azeri sovereignty.