Baku rejects French FM’s “accusations” regarding the destruction of Armenian churches

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Baku has “strongly rejected the accusations made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during a speech in the French Senate on May 6.”

This was stated by Ayhan Hajizade, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in comments cited by the Anadolu News Agency.

He said that “the French minister’s use of the term ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ in reference to the Karabakh region, which is sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, is unacceptable.”

“We strongly condemn such provocative statements by the French side, which question Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over its territories and cast doubt on the protection of cultural and religious heritage, at a time when, following the just war conducted by Azerbaijan within the framework of international law and on its sovereign territories, conditions have been created for sustainable peace in the region,” the comment said

Hajizade added that “the French minister’s remarks regarding the demolition of certain structures dating back to the occupation period, while ignoring the destruction of hundreds of mosques and other cultural heritage sites in Azerbaijani territories during the Armenian occupation, as well as the inappropriate reference to the ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice, are a clear example of double standards.”

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