France posing as "Armenia's savior": reasons for biased approach towards Azerbaijan

By Trend

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev touched on a number of foreign and domestic policy issues, in a recent interview to local TV channels. Speaking of the position of France towards Azerbaijan, the head of state noted that the OSCE Minsk Group, and France in particular, are trying hard to impede the resolution of issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"That is, neither peace nor war, the issue should remain frozen and Armenians should de facto live there. Time will pass, generations will change, Azerbaijanis will forget, and among other things, the theses of contacts between these people and the strengthening of cooperation with Armenia were thrown around, suggesting that, yes, we should reconcile, we should be friends. We did not come to terms with that, and I think the main reason for such an anti-Azerbaijani position is that we have prevented their plans and they could not save Armenia, which they took under their protection," President Ilham Aliyev said.

Everyone is aware of the unfair prejudice of France against Azerbaijan. The resolutions adopted by the French National Assembly and Senate against Azerbaijan, the corresponding custom articles in the French media are a clear example of this. France co-chaired the OSCE Minsk Group, in the recent past, on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. But in this case, the country simply gave a false appearance of making some efforts in this direction. In fact, France took a pro-Armenian position, and even after the second Karabakh war, which ended with the victory of Azerbaijan, France, which once had to work to solve the Karabakh issue and show neutrality, has been pursuing a biased policy against Azerbaijan.

Another crucial point is the decision to send the EU mission to Armenia, to the regions bordering Azerbaijan, adopted in at the Prague meeting of the Azerbaijani, French, EU Council, and Armenian leaders. Although the mission was supposed to be short term, France said it would extend the terms. It is clear that France, by taking these steps, attempts to restore its lost authority and influence in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan, showing goodwill, allowed the French president to participate in the Prague meeting, but France could not appreciate this.

France's recent moves serve two purposes – Macron's desire to increase his declining influence in the South Caucasus and his attempts to please the Armenian diaspora, which cannot accept the new reality created following the second Karabakh war. However, apparently, Macron has no idea of the real situation in the South Caucasus. No one will be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, and France, acting as "Armenia's savior", will have to eventually realize this.