BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 14. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) strongly condemns the fact that French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot once again targeted Azerbaijan with baseless allegations during his speech at the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy on October 13.
This was stated by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada in a commentary addressing allegations against Azerbaijan made by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot at an OECD event.
According to the statement, the French minister’s accusations against Azerbaijan demonstrate that the French side remains unwilling to abandon its confrontational rhetoric in relations with Azerbaijan.
"Accusing Azerbaijan of interfering in the struggle for the rights of people living in New Caledonia and other French overseas territories is completely unfounded. The unfounded association of the parties’ differing positions on events taking place in France’s overseas territories with foreign interference is an attempt to overshadow the will and interests of the people of those territories.
French officials who speak of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law would do well to focus first and foremost on consistently applying these principles in French politics.
We call on the French side to put an end to unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan and to uphold the principles of mutual respect, sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs in international relations," the commentary noted.
