While accepting the credentials of Sophie Lagoutte, the new French Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that ‘past misunderstandings’ between the two countries had been resolved, emphasising a new era in bilateral relations.
According to the readout from the Azerbaijani presidential website, during Thursday’s meeting, Aliyev recalled the meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Copenhagen on 2 October, where the parties reportedly resolved their issues.
During that meeting, Macron congratulated Aliyev for the normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the progress made in the peace agenda.
Aliyev stressed to the new ambassador the importance of restoring and developing communications between two states and highlighted cooperation in cultural and humanitarian fields.
France has a significant Armenian diaspora and has long been supportive of Armenia.
The tensions in the relations between Azerbaijan and France worsened after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.
Aliyev and other officials have frequently accused France of taking a one-sided stance in the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict in favour of Armenia, and have taken issue with its military support of Armenia.
Beyond this, however, Azerbaijan has continued to focus criticism on French policies unrelated to Armenia, namely repeatedly attacking France over its colonial history and current-day neocolonialism.
In turn, France has accused Azerbaijan of supporting deadly riots in its overseas territory of New Caledonia in 2024.
Aytan Farhadova
