President Macron is cause of crisis in Azerbaijani-French relations, says I. Aliyev

President Ilham Aliyev accused the political elite of France of ‘Azerbaijanophobia’, which has a ‘consensus’ on this issue, he said in an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels.

He recalled the illegal trips to Karabakh by French politicians when Russian peacekeepers were there. These were the mayor of Paris and the former French Prime Minister.

He attributed this to the manifestation of Islamophobia, xenophobia and influence of the Armenian lobby.

‘Many leaders of the ruling elite perceived our Victory in 2020 as their defeat,’ Aliyev continued.

He further noted that Macron had threatened him with ‘recognising Nagorno-Karabakh’.

‘During the 44-day war, the French President made several phone calls trying to stop the fighting. At that time, there were also attempts to threaten to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh. I responded that any country that recognises Nagorno-Karabakh will immediately receive a note from us about breaking diplomatic relations,’ Aliyev said.

According to him, the crisis in relations emerged under Macron. There were no problems in bilateral relations under other Presidents.

At the same time, Aliyev noted that in recent months Baku has received signals from representatives of the French government ‘to establish contacts’. According to him, Baku is ready for this, but under certain conditions. He made it clear that those wishing to restore relations should come to Baku.

‘The main thing is that they should not touch us, not  interfere in our affairs, nor affairs of the South Caucasus,’ Aliyev continued.

He further touched upon the presence of French companies. ‘French presence in Azerbaijan is nearly reduced to zero, except for companies with long-term contracts. We always respect our obligations and do not transfer political difficulties to the activity of companies. It is not the fault of French companies that they have such power,’ Aliyev said.