Azerbaijani, French leaders mull post-war regional security
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have discussed strengthning stability and security in the South Caucasus region after the last year's war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azertag reported on August 5.
In a telephone conversation that took place at Macron's initiative on August 5, the two presidents exchanged views on regional issues and implementation of the provisions of the declaration in the aftermath of the trilateral declaration signed on November 10, 2020, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and strengthening stability and security in the region in the post-conflict period, the report added.
During the telephone conversation, the heads of state also discussed the issues related to various areas of Azerbaijan-France bilateral relations.
In early June, commenting on a direct dialogue between Yerevan and Baku referred to in Macron’s earlier statement, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said it is taking place between the sides based on the November deal and that Azerbaijan has always supported a negotiated solution to the conflict.
“Azerbaijan is always open to discussions and negotiations. France is a co-chair country and has been participating in the regional processes since 1997. Therefore, the statement on the ‘return of France to the region’ is not clear,” the spokesperson said.
Abdullayeva underlined France’s special sympathy for Armenia.
“It is not a secret that France has a special sympathy for Armenia, but as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the country must maintain official neutrality. We hope that in accordance with the co-chairing mandate, France will take a neutral and impartial position,” she said.
During the last year's war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Macron and some French circles failed to demonstrate a neutral position, despite the fact that France is a co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group mediating talks between Baku and Yerevan to find a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict.
In contradiction to the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, only the interests of Armenia were protected and an inadequate position, which did not meet the requirements of a balanced and fair co-chairmanship, was displayed. This stance was several times criticized by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and some other senior officials.
A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10 brought an end to 44 days of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.
However, starting mid-July the worst escalation of tension has been observed between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the signing of the November deal.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have failed to come to an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of their state border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tension over the border delimitation gained fresh momentum following the end of the 44-day war in 2020.
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