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Akbar Novruz

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Azerbaijan anticipates that its strained relations with France will normalize in the near future, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Leyla Abdullayeva said in an interview with French media, Azernews reports.

Commenting on the current political turbulence in Paris, Ambassador Abdullayeva noted that domestic developments in France could influence external diplomatic dynamics but expressed cautious optimism regarding bilateral ties.

"Obviously, the internal crisis [in France] may have an impact on other sectors, but we will see how it ends. Although we do not see a direct impact of the crisis on our bilateral relations, we hope that they will soon normalize," she said.

The ambassador also addressed the deterioration of Baku-Paris relations in recent years, attributing it to what she described as France’s “biased position” on the Baku-Yerevan conflict—a conflict Azerbaijan considers resolved. She emphasized that the current geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus provides a unique opportunity for sustainable peace.

"We have really closed the page of hostility between our countries. And at the moment, there is only one thing that stands before the final signing of peace—this is the constitution of Armenia. All we want is for territorial claims against Azerbaijan to be eliminated. And after that, we will be able to confidently talk about lasting peace," Abdullayeva said.

She highlighted the significant progress already achieved between Azerbaijan and Armenia, citing the Washington-initiated peace treaty as a symbol of mutual commitment:

"This was, in fact, an obligation of both sides to establish good neighborliness on the principles of respect for sovereignty, respect for the inviolability of international borders, and the inadmissibility of the use of force," she added.

Ambassador Abdullayeva concluded by underscoring the broader significance of these developments, describing them as exceptional in a historically unstable region:

"The South Caucasus is today one of the rare regions where we see positive development and visible results of two countries that have embarked on the path to peace and cooperation. This is the case of Azerbaijan and Armenia: two countries that were in conflict," she noted.