France recalls ambassador to Azerbaijan

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) – France has recalled its ambassador to Azerbaijan on Tuesday "for consultation," according to French Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry stated that France took this step due to "unilateral actions by Azerbaijan detrimental to bilateral relations."

French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly discussed these issues with the ambassador.

It is underlined Macron expressed "regret" over Azerbaijan's actions and emphasized the expectation for Azerbaijan to clarify its intentions.

The French president's support for the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia was noted in the statement.

Tensions in France-Azerbaijan relations have been ongoing since the end of 2023.

Baku criticized Paris for increasing its support for Armenia in military supplies, revealing France's plan to send 50 armored vehicles to Armenia in December 2023.

In February, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced during an official visit to Armenia that they were ready to provide short, medium, and long-range air defense systems to Armenia.

Last year, Azerbaijan declared two employees at the French Embassy in Baku as "persona non grata" at the end of the year, while in January, a French citizen was arrested in the country on charges of espionage.