Azerbaijan expresses strong protest over the visit of the “head” of the illegal regime created in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, Bako Sahakyan, to France, one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told APA.
Hajiyev noted that by this means the Armenian lobby in EU countries and Armenia are attempting to propagandize the illegitimate regime established in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories and to hinder the efforts to find a negotiated solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The French ambassador to Azerbaijan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over the issue, said the spokesman.
“In connection with the issue, a meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry with the French ambassador to Azerbaijan. Likewise, representatives of the Azerbaijani Embassy in France will have a meeting at the French Foreign Ministry,” he added.
It’s regrettable that the French side took no action to prevent Bako Sahakyan from entering the EU territory with the diplomatic passport of the Republic of Armenia, which is a blatant violation of the Schengen visa rules and runs contrary to France’s obligations as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, stressed Hajiyev.
“On July 2, 2015, the French government sent circular instructions to local prefectures and higher commissioners at the level of foreign and interior ministries. These instructions contain a warning over restrictions on powers of local self-governing bodies in the field of international cooperation and prohibit local authorities from signing documents on international cooperation with illegal regimes, which are not recognized by the French government, including the so-called regime in occupied Azerbaijani territories,” he said.
Azerbaijan expects France, by following these instructions, will make the necessary measures with regard to local authorities which signed illegal documents with the illegal regime in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories, noted Hajiyev.
“Given the challenges faced by the EU member states in recent years, it is absolutely necessary to prevent dangerous separatist sentiments and to pursue a unified and unequivocal policy regarding the territorial integrity, sovereignty and border inviolability of states,” he added.
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