News - Baku goes into confrontation with Paris, says credibility in France as mediator in relations with Armenia declines

Azerbaijan's credibility in France, even as a potential mediator in normalizing relations with Armenia, has eroded significantly, according to comments made by Ambassador Elchin Amirbekov, the representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments, during an interview with the French radio station Radiofrance. Ambassador Amirbekov cited what he described as ‘rabid support for Armenia’ from France's current political leadership, which has led to a situation where Azerbaijan is unwilling to consider Paris as a capable party for contributing to the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan. He highlighted recent evidence of France's commitment to supporting Armenia, such as French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna's decision to elevate military-technical cooperation with Armenia, including supplying weapons and military equipment. Amirbekov argued that France's actions not only undermine its aspirations as a peacemaker but also escalate the region's military tensions, potentially leading to new provocations and aggression ‘from Armenia against Azerbaijan.’ It’s worth noting that against the backdrop of such statements, Azerbaijan is consistently increasing its military budget and purchasing more and more new weapons.