Azerbaijan is escalating the conflict with France amid the latter’s arms supply to Armenia, Bloomberg writes. The Baku Initiative Group, an organization with close ties to the Azerbaijani government, is campaigning to end Paris’s rule in a number of regions, supporting local activists in places like Polynesia and New Caledonia.
According to the article, the confrontation between Baku and Paris is likely to worsen as France, home to a large Armenian diaspora, signed an arms deal with Yerevan. Paris is expected to maintain military support to Armenia, regardless of the outcome of the snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron. Of course, Azerbaijan itself has spent billions of dollars on arms trade, including from foreign powers such as Turkey, Israel, and Russia. This has helped it wage two wars against Artsakh since 2020.
At the same time, as noted by French expert Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the termination of energy cooperation with Azerbaijan due to the presence of political prisoners and human rights violations in the country. “There is a geopolitical aspect. You can’t close your eyes to what’s happening there,” the expert said, pointing to Azerbaijan’s use of force and human rights violations in Artsakh.
The dispute between Baku and Paris has reached its peak in New Caledonia.
An official familiar with France’s stance noted that Azerbaijan’s actions clearly have a negative effect on France. “The Azerbaijanis are trying to force France to give up or reduce the support provided to Armenia,” said the official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue.
