The head of state, among other things, voiced harsh criticism of the French authorities. Ilham Aliyev called on Paris to apologize for its colonial past. He also commented on the ongoing wave of riots, stressing that a persistent and widespread racist and discriminatory discourse, especially in the media and on the Internet, against certain ethnic minorities and racist hate speech by officials and members of the two chambers of the French Parliament is on the rise in France.
“Apology in front of millions of people whom [Emmanuel Macron’s] predecessors colonized, used as slaves, killed, tortured and humiliated will not only be a recognition of the historical guilt of France but also will help France to overcome the consequences of deep political, social and humanitarian crisis it is facing after the brutal killing of Algerian teenager,” said the President of Azerbaijan. And he reminded that France even bans the Corsican language and does not accept the concept of ethnic minorities. At the same time, it tries to present itself as a defender of the Armenian minority in Azerbaijan. This is nothing but hypocrisy and double standards, he emphasized: instead of trying to lecture others, the French authorities should fight such alarming tendencies in their own country.
These statements by the President of Azerbaijan were made against the background of another scandal in the relations between Baku and Paris. Emmanuel Macron decided to meet with the leaders of the Armenian community in Marseille on June 29, when basically a civil war was raging in France. Following that meeting, the local Dashnaktsutyun cell reported that the president of the Fifth Republic had gotten on his high horse and assured French Armenians: “I have put and will continue to put more pressure on [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev than [Armenian Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan himself. Question for Pashinyan. I am the only one who has a clear position and message on the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue. Do not doubt my determination regarding Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia in general. I will continue my efforts, even if I am almost the only one in the international family with this agenda.”
Macron thought it would be a zero-sum game for him. Against the background of a series of failures in foreign policy and the economy, Macron needed the Armenian votes badly. The scandalous statements were circulated not by the press service of the Élysée Palace, but by the Dashnaks. Azerbaijan “was suggested” to believe that Macron said nothing of the kind; Armenia and French Armenians were suggested to believe that he did. Everybody is happy.
But they did not expect Baku to immediately invite the French ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and demand that Paris explain Macron’s scandalous statements—and remind them that “the statements about putting pressure on the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev are a figment of French President Macron’s imagination. Attempts to exert pressure on the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan have never been successful.” Indeed, it would be worth asking the authors of this “brilliant idea”: do they even know who Ilham Aliyev is? Are they aware in Paris that it is impossible to “put pressure” on the President of Azerbaijan? And if Macron speaks about “more pressure”, what should be considered as its visible result? The border checkpoint in Lachin? New military commando units? Operation Qisas-2?
Moreover, the “brilliant idea” of the Parisian spin doctors backfired on Macron himself. Should Parish have claimed that the Dashnaks made it up, and that the French president said nothing of the sort? Could the Dashnaks provide the proof of Macron’s statement? In that case, the French president would lose the last chance to get Armenian votes. Should Paris have confirmed it? That would not have done either. Paris chose to remain silent. And they held their pause a little too long. Azerbaijan made a counter-move. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave Macron a “cold shower” and a lesson in “new geography” by reminding him about France’s “service record” in front of the perfect target audience: representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement countries. People who know very well what colonialism in general and the French version of it in particular are all about. Paris’s influence in its former colonies is eroding fast as it is. Azerbaijan’s influence in the Non-Aligned Movement is great. The charge of anti-French sentiment is even more so. So, even if Paris wants to ignore the implications of the Azerbaijani President’s statements, they will hardly be able to do so in practice.
And that is not all. By “cuddling” with Armenia, Macron also “trips up” Paris’s allies in the most sensitive area for the West: Ukraine. France essentially supports the redrawing of borders by force and external aggression disguised as “care for compatriots,” which is exactly the same thing for which the West punishes Russia with regard to Ukraine. That is, if we call a spade a spade, they give Moscow “arguments” that in fact the collective West is not “interested” in borders, external aggression and international law, and sanctions, and the assistance to Ukraine is nothing but “Russophobia”. Not to mention the fact that Armenia itself is actively assisting Russia in the war against Ukraine. This includes sending planes and participation in the circumvention of sanctions, including the purchase of microchips for missiles, and sending the Armenian Arbat battalion under the Armenian flag to the Ukrainian war. Where Russian troops may very soon find themselves with armored personnel carriers and guns supplied by France to Armenia.
And there is no doubt that Macron will be called out on this as well.
Nurani
Translated from Minval.az
