Baku urges France to put end to unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan

Azerbaijanchr("39")s Foreign Ministry has responded to the unfounded allegations made by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development event, Olaylar informs.

"We strongly condemn the remarks by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, once again targeting Azerbaijan with unfounded allegations during the OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy on October 13," Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said in a statement.

He noted that the French Ministerchr("39")s accusations against Azerbaijan demonstrate that the French side remains unwilling to abandon its confrontational rhetoric in relations with Azerbaijan.

"Accusations that Azerbaijan interferes in the struggle of the peoples living in New Caledonia and other French overseas territories for their rights are entirely unfounded. Attempts to portray parties holding differing views on developments in Francechr("39")s overseas territories as instruments of foreign interference are aimed at overshadowing the will and concerns of the populations of these territories," Hajizada said.

He added that it would be more appropriate for French officials, when speaking about democracy, human rights and the rule of law, to focus first and foremost on the consistent application of these principles in Francechr("39")s own policies.

"We call on the French side to put an end to unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan and to uphold the principles of mutual respect, sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs in international relations," Hajizada said.