We strongly reject the allegations made against Azerbaijan by Jean Noel Barrot, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in the French Senate on May 6.
Modern.az reports that this was stated in the commentary by Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the allegations made against Azerbaijan by Jean Noel Barrot, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in the French Senate.
It is noted that the use of expressions such as “Nagorno-Karabakh” by the French minister regarding the Karabakh region, which is a sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, is unacceptable.
At a time when conditions for lasting peace have been created in the region after Azerbaijan's war for justice, carried out within the norms and principles of international law in its sovereign territories, we strongly condemn such provocative statements by the French side that question Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its territories and cast doubt on the protection of cultural and religious heritage.
The French minister's commentary on the demolition of some structures remaining from the occupation period, while ignoring the fact that hundreds of mosques and other cultural heritage samples were destroyed in Azerbaijani territories during the Armenian occupation, and his inappropriate reference to the ongoing process in the International Court of Justice on this matter, is a clear example of a double standard.
Our historical and religious monuments located in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan are our national-cultural heritage and are protected regardless of their origin, secular or religious affiliation.
France's calls for the realization of a UNESCO assessment mission to Azerbaijan's Karabakh region are a blatant distortion of facts. It was Azerbaijan that repeatedly called for the realization of assessment missions, but unfortunately, this was not possible precisely due to the known obstacles from countries like Armenia and France. UNESCO itself confirmed this fact in its 2005 report.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally emphasized that such statements by the French minister do not serve sustainable and genuine peace-building in the region.
