Azerbaijan - France: troubled searching for cooperation basics

The adoption by the European Union in two years of 13 packages of sanctions measures against the Russian Federation for its war in Ukraine has made it difficult for Russia to export its hydrocarbons and forced it to look for "loopholes" to sell these strategic products at least at reduced prices.

On April 25, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev embarked on a significant diplomatic mission to Germany to partake in the 15th Petersberg Climate Dialogue. This annual summit, pivotal since its inception in 2010, convened in Berlin this year as a prelude to the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference COP29, scheduled for November in Baku.

For 10 years now, Péter Szijjártó has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, and the 45-year-old official's combination of difficult duties in the government, the successful implementation of shuttle diplomacy between friendly Russia and the West punishing it, and defending Hungary's interests in the EU characterize Péter Szijjártó as a skillful politician, sometimes flattering, sometimes tough.

"France has decided to recall its ambassador to Azerbaijan for consultations in connection with the continuation of unilateral actions by Azerbaijan in recent months, damaging relations between our two countries," the message of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published on April 16.