BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 28. The editor-in-chief of the Paris-based La Gazette du Caucase online newspaper, renowned French reporter Jean-Michel Brun has published an article in response to an anti-Azerbaijani piece published by French L'Express, Trend reports.
"This week, L'Express devoted several articles to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Notably, the article from February 25 stands out. On that date, L'Express published a piece claiming Azerbaijan's alleged attempts to "destabilize" France. This article is part of a series of misinformation about Azerbaijan, including false assertions about France's ability to host the Olympic Games and alleged attempts by Baku to bribe French politicians. The origin of these claims can be traced back to the Armenian lobby, which seems unable to accept Azerbaijan's successful reclaiming of Karabakh," the article reads.
The reporter observes that despite L'Express attempting to disavow the portrayal of a neo-colonial and Islamophobic France, there are numerous pieces of evidence supporting such claims.
"Wasn't there unabashed exploitation of Africa's resources during the Francophone era, until France's recent expulsion from the region? Wasn't French Polynesia, included on the UN list of countries to be decolonized in 1946, only reclaimed on May 17, 2013? Furthermore, after being one of the few nations globally to support Armenian separatists in Karabakh, France now expresses outrage at Azerbaijan supporting independence fighters in New Caledonia.
Regarding French Islamophobia, Muslim schools have been shut down on seemingly trivial grounds. There is discrimination against individuals with North African names in employment and housing, closure of bank accounts belonging to Muslim associations, and prohibition of "external religious symbols" that specifically affect the Muslim community," the article reads.
Jean-Michel Brun highlighted that the most recent edition of L'Express featured an article claiming Armenians were "expelled" from Karabakh, yet it neglected to mention the hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis displaced from their homes in 1992. Furthermore, it made no reference to the 250,000 Azerbaijanis, who had resided in Armenia for centuries, being deported in 1987 during the largest ethnic cleansing ever perpetrated in the Caucasus.
"In reality, Armenians were compelled to vacate the town of Khankendi due to pressure from separatists, even though the Azerbaijani government had offered them the option to stay. Notably, the special reporter authored her article from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, without ever visiting Karabakh. As purported evidence of Azerbaijan's "determination" to "discredit" France, the reporter cites the expulsion of two French "diplomats" from the French Embassy in Azerbaijan. However, she conveniently 'forgets' to mention that these two intelligence agents resorted to threats to coerce a French businessman, who had been residing in Baku for numerous years, into working for them," Brun added.
Regarding the claims that Azerbaijan is purportedly involved in discriminating against and boycotting the organization of the Olympic Games in Paris, Jean-Michel Brun asserts that Azerbaijan is not implicated. Instead, the prefect and president of the Ile-de-France region, the police, and the Court of Audit consistently highlight an amateurish approach to the Olympic Games organization, with delays prevalent in various aspects, particularly in security and transportation. French cartoonists also satirize the situation by depicting Parisian rats eagerly anticipating the arrival of tourists.
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