Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.24 / Trend, S. Agayeva /
French MPs' visit to Nagorno Karabakh contradicts international norms, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Elchin Amirbeyov said.
"The fact that MPs of several countries, in particular the French MPs, illegally visit Azerbaijan's territories occupied by Armenia, is a legal violation. Azerbaijan will not tolerate such actions. Second, these actions are contrary to the norms and principles of international law. Nagorno Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, and recognized by the international community, including France", Amirbeyov told Trend.
Earlier, several media outlets reported that French MPs Guy Teissier, Jacques Remile, Georges Colombier, and Valerie Boyer, have visited the Azerbaijani territories, occupied by Armenia, and have met with the leadership of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris presented a note protesting the French Foreign Ministry in connection with the French MPs' illegal visit to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, First Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elman Abdullayev earlier told Trend.
Amirbeyov believes that the second point of importance is the irresponsible behavior of some French parliamentarians, who hurt the two countries' relationships. "These actions again emphasize these politicians' dependence on the electorate. In this case, from Armenian voters compactly living in their constituencies", Amirbeyov emphasized.
"Finally, all these steps will not be left without traces for these people, because in accordance with Azerbaijani legislation, these people outlaw themselves accordingly, and are automatically included in the list of persona non grata in Azerbaijan", Amirbeyov said.
It is unlikely that such actions can contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations, even at the parliamentary level, given the fact that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and France have remained positive in recent years. Future relations will continue to develop in the near future, he added.
He said Paris's position is very important for Azerbaijan, which again was immediately voiced both by Foreign Ministry officials and the Foreign Ministry spokesman, who reconfirmed France's unchanged position.
The French side has officially confirmed its stance, stating that this visit is not carried out per request of the French National Assembly, but on personal initiative of the Chairman of the French Assembly's defense and armed forces committee Guy Tessier. Tessier, who led the delegation, is the mayor of the ninth and tenth arrondissement of Marseille, which is densely populated by Armenians. The French MPs' illegal visit to the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani territories, does not commit Paris to anything and does not change its position, French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bernard Valero stated.
"It is regrettable that people who do not know anything about the region or the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict, yielding to provocations of certain circles, including their voters, take these sorts of steps. We regret over it and it will not be left without consequences", Amirbeyov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.