BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. We strongly condemn and reject the unfounded accusations made against Azerbaijan by Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Colonna on October 3 during a press conference within her visit to Armenia, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Trend reports.
"Allegations of France, who never cared about the mass and forcible deportation of Azerbaijanis from their homelands, war crimes, and massacres committed against them for almost 30 years, claiming that voluntarily migrated Armenian residents from the region were forcibly displaced without any proof, as well as contrary to the position of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other international organizations are intended to mislead the international community.
Weaponization of Armenia in every possible way and the inclination of this country for aggression and military adventure by France is unacceptable. As past attempts of France to intervene in our region, the inevitable failure of this kind of efforts must be clear for France.
In this regard, we would like to draw attention to the fact that turning a blind eye by France to the fact of occupation of about 20% of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia in gross violation of all norms and principles of international law, as well as Armenia's obligations within the agreements reached, continuation of military-political provocations against Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty after the 44-day Patriotic War, non-withdrawal of its armed forces from our territories until the counter-terrorism measures carried out by Azerbaijan was an obstacle to the peace process and a real threat in the region.
Stating France’s continuous support to Armenia and initiation of the UN Security Council meetings by France once again proved that France's allegations of being an impartial and neutral mediator over the past 30 years were groundless.
Calling the legitimate steps taken by Azerbaijan in its sovereign territories as a crime by France despite the statements of both international organizations and the Prime Minister of Armenia that the counter-terrorism measures carried out by Azerbaijan do not constitute any threat to peaceful Armenian residents, is not only fraud but also indicates that the insidious policy pursued by France has gone into the abyss," the statement reads.