BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 27. It's naive to believe France is ready to ensure the security of the South Caucasus, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.
"If France had such opportunities, it would have used them in countries with which it had contractual commitments. We have talked about it several times. Furthermore, it would have been convenient for them to do so, given that they had been there for decades, treating them as colonies, and that even in the post-colonial period, they maintained their interests at a neocolonial level. The language is more familiar there, and contacts and connections have been maintained. Something did not work," she explained.
According to Zakharova, France was obligated to do so in Africa, as it received money for it.
"Its work and its presence there were generously paid for. French missions in these countries failed miserably," she added.
Furthermore, the official stated that the future of the South Caucasus is essentially an instrument for Paris.
"It's just a bargaining chip, one of the methods to retain its own prosperity and prestige, especially in light of hybrid warfare with Russia and failures in Africa. France's presence in the South Caucasus region is an attempt to gather intelligence and monitor the states of the region, preventing the peaceful accords established between our countries, especially those of an economic character, from materializing," Zakharova added.
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