Aliyev blamed France for a possible confrontation with Armenia

France will be the culprit of a new possible confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the transfer of weapons to Armenia by Paris will not lead to peace, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Previously, Aliyev refused to participate in a five-party meeting with Pashinyan and representatives of France, Germany and the EU, which was supposed to take place on October 5 in Granada, Spain. He explained his decision by refusing to allow Turkish representatives into the negotiations. Aliyev’s press service told, that on October 7, in a conversation with Michel, he called the inclusion of Azerbaijan without its participation in the quadripartite statement in Granada “the wrong approach.” According to him, the Azerbaijani side did not participate in the meeting because of the “well-known position of France.”

“The head of state especially emphasized that France’s transfer of weapons to Armenia is an approach that does not serve peace, but a new confrontation, and if any new confrontation occurs in the region, then France will be to blame for this,” the message says.

Aliyev also noted “the unacceptability of the anti-Azerbaijani statement adopted by the European Parliament on the basis of a xenophobic and chauvinist approach.” It does not serve to ensure peace and stability in the region, the president believes.

The head of state also spoke about the latest events in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, Baku, “in accordance with international law and the UN Charter,” secured its sovereignty and ensured “the neutralization of illegal military formations on its territory.” According to him, eight villages in Azerbaijan still remain under “Armenian occupation.”

Michel stated the EU’s readiness to “continue efforts aimed at normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations,” the report said.

The head of the European Council said earlier after a meeting in Granada that the EU had sent invitations to the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for negotiations in Brussels at the end of October. According to him, Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed take part in the meeting.