(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 14 . Azerbaijan
pursues an open policy in relations with all countries and has the
right to expect the same position from other countries, Head of the
Azerbaijan-France Inter-Parliamentary Relations Working Group
Soltan Mammadov told .
According to Mammadov, one of the main reasons for the mistrust
of the Azerbaijani society towards France is some of the nuances of
this country's policy towards the region.
He stressed that after the 2020 second Karabakh war new
opportunities appeared to ensure peace in the South Caucasus, but
some steps taken by France hinder this process.
Commenting on the recent statement of French Minister for Europe
and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna in the National Assembly [in
which she expressed solidarity with Armenian people and made
completely unfounded calls against Azerbaijan], the head of the
working group said that such statements only aggravate the
situation in the region.
Mammadov noted that the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly called
on France to be impartial in its policy towards the South Caucasus
and, especially, in its approach to the process of normalizing
Azerbaijani-Armenian relations.
'At various meetings, we brought to the attention of our French
colleagues the issues concerning Azerbaijan. We have always taken
the position that damaging relations and weakening mutual trust are
unacceptable, but, unfortunately, France hasn't changed neither its
policy, nor its approach,” he said.“It more protects the interests
of Armenia. This, of course, raises certain questions regarding how
effective can be France's participation in the process of
normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
The MP emphasized that by putting forward various initiatives,
France is trying to take on the role of a key player in the
processes in the region, and also to mediate in the negotiations
between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The working group's head pointed out that many of the steps
taken by France over the past period, as well as its current
policy, raise doubts that it can be an impartial mediator.
'The Azerbaijani society doesn't support the participation of
France as a mediator. We witnessed the indifference of this
country, which for 30 years was a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group,
to the fact of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands,” Mammadov
reminded.
“The facts related to terror and genocide, aggression against
Azerbaijan, weren't seriously condemned by France. Therefore,
France's attempts to stir up issues which are no longer on the
agenda, and to carry out a mediation mission in the negotiation
process are useless,' he concluded.
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