BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 27. France has declared two employees of the Azerbaijani embassy in Paris persona non grata, TurkicWorld reports.

“France acknowledges Azerbaijan's decision to declare two members of the French embassy's diplomatic staff in Azerbaijan persona non grata. We categorically deny the accusations made by Azerbaijan as the basis for its decision,” French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

French MFA emphasizes that its decision is a reciprocal measure.

The Azerbaijani ambassador to France was summoned to the Quai d'Orsay today to be informed of this development.

Meanwhile, on December 26, 2023, French ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Buyon was summoned to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was informed that two embassy staff members had been declared persona non grata by the Azerbaijani government due to activities inconsistent with diplomatic status and in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. These individuals were instructed to leave Azerbaijani territory within 48 hours, as stated in the note handed over to the ambassador.