French President Emmanuel Macron
Macron Accuses Azerbaijan of interfering in Caledonia, Baku rejects accusations
On January 6, speaking at a conference of ambassadors, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia had changed its allied relations with Armenia and supported Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Russia, having suddenly changed its foreign policy, supported Azerbaijan because for the first time Armenia had a decisive prime minister who did not give in," he noted.
At the same time he acused Azerbaijan for interference into the situation in Caledonia.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, represented by its press secretary, called these accusations "unfounded and provocative, distorting the real facts."
Politics
-
On January 7, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes began an investigation into the case of the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Mehman Aliyev, who is accused of illegal drug trafficking.
-
On January 7, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, gave an interview to local TV channels. As of 18:00, the content of the interview had not been published.
-
In late December, the Nakhchivan Court for Serious Crimes concluded the trial of former Minister of Finance of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR), Rafael Aliyev, and former head of the Nakhchivan Customs Committee’s department, Mansur Askerov. Both were accused of embezzling state budget funds in collusion with others. In his testimony, Askerov revealed that illegal fees were being collected for cargo and from passengers. Sahat Habibbeyli, appointed head of Nakhchivan Customs in 2020, had instructed Askerov to include only a portion of the collected funds in the Transport and International Relations (TIR) program.
-
The "Republican Alternative" Party (REAL) has proposed a program to reform local governance ahead of the municipal elections on January 29, aiming to expand opportunities for economic activity at the municipal level. The new program has been developed with consideration of the existing economic problems in the country. The government of Azerbaijan seeks to obtain external loans for its projects, the economic feasibility of which raises doubts.
Leave a review