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Abbas Ganbay

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In an article published today in the French edition of L'Opinion, an attempt has been made to analyse another sharp aggravation of relations between Paris and Baku in the light of the recent "espionage scandal," Azernews reports.

The author of the article, Jean-Dominique Merchet, dwelt in detail on the detention in Baku last December of M. Ryan, accused of espionage against Azerbaijan.

According to the article, French citizen Martin Ryan was a victim of the actions of French intelligence working undercover in Azerbaijan.

"And this is just one example of how France is undermining prospects for peace in the South Caucasus with its pro-Armenian stance and actions." writes the author of the article.

Citing the close entourage of the detainee, the author emphasises that "he was a victim of manipulation by two French foreign intelligence officers who worked at the French Embassy in Baku and were expelled by the Azerbaijani side for actions that did not correspond to their official status".

The article points out that the mentioned embassy employees "forced Ryan to collect and transmit 'sensitive' information about third countries, particularly Iran and Turkiye, turning him into a pawn in their dangerous game".

Regarding the serious deterioration of bilateral relations between Paris and Baku against this background, the author quotes Elchin Amirbayov, the representative of the President of Azerbaijan for special assignments, who condemned France's biased pro-Armenian position, including the French side's continued supply of arms and equipment to Yerevan, as well as its active attempts to promote an anti-Azerbaijani draft resolution in the UN Security Council.

"As a result, France has been left out of the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, its behavior has a detrimental effect on the role of the European Union in this issue," Amirbayov stressed.

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