Western Azerbaijan Community

The Ambassador of France to Armenia, Azerbaijanophobe Olivier Decottignies, in an interview with Radio Free Europe's Armenian service on May 8, 2024, has once again made irresponsible and destructive statements, trying to exacerbate the situation in the region and to undermine the positive dynamics towards normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Ambassador Decottignies, who claims that Azerbaijan is allegedly maintaining an occupation of Armenian territories and has intentions of attack, is well aware that these are fabrications aimed to justify France's encroachment into the South Caucasus and its arms sales to Armenia.

In relation to the supposed international support for the return of Armenians migrated from Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, the community condemns France's discriminatory treatment of Azerbaijanis forcibly expelled from Armenia. Furthermore, "international institutions" are not limited to the Islamophobic, corrupt European Parliament. "International institutions" also include the Islamic Cooperation Organization and its 57 member states, which recently made a unanimous decision at the Banjul summit supporting the return of expelled Azerbaijanis to their homes in Armenia.

The response given by Ambassador Decottignies regarding the whereabouts of Ambassador Anne Boillon, whom Paris had recalled for consultations and then sent back to Baku, deviates from all diplomatic norms, is cheap and unbecoming, thus exposing his personal and France’s destructive stance. In fact, France supports the religious radicalism, revanchism, and anti-peace activities currently carried out by the politicized Armenian church and its "clergy" in Armenia. The French ambassador's desire to be "more Armenian than the Armenians," his frequent inappropriate remarks against Azerbaijan, and his consideration of himself as "the Talleyrand of the era" is lamentable.

The Western Azerbaijan Community demands that France cease its destructive policies, exacerbating the situation in the region, and not hinder peace.