The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected statements made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in the country's parliament. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizade expressed unacceptability of the French minister's use of the term "Nagorno-Karabakh" to refer to the Karabakh region, which, as emphasized, is an integral part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.

"While the preconditions for lasting peace in this region are being created, we strongly condemn the provocative statements by the French side, which call into question Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its lands and the security of its cultural and spiritual heritage," Hajizade stated.

He noted that the French Foreign Minister, ignoring the scale of the destruction of hundreds of mosques and cultural heritage sites in Azerbaijan during the Armenian occupation, focuses on the demolition of individual sites, which, in his view, demonstrates double standards.

The Foreign Ministry representative also described France's calls for a UNESCO assessment mission to the Karabakh region as a distortion of reality. He emphasized that Azerbaijan has repeatedly advocated for such missions, but their implementation has encountered obstacles from Armenia and France. Such statements by the French Minister, according to Hajizade, do not contribute to the establishment of a stable and long-term peace in the South Caucasus.

As a reminder, in April, Azerbaijan facilitated the evacuation from Iran of French citizens Cécile Coler and Jacques Paris, previously convicted of espionage. Baku provided transit assistance, ensuring safe passage through its territory. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot personally thanked his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, for his assistance.