Azerbaijan announces expulsion of two French diplomats, asks them to leave within 48 hours

Two employees at the French embassy in Baku were declared personae non gratae on Tuesday for engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, adding that the two French diplomats were asked to leave the country within 48 hours. The ministry issued a statement, announcing the summoning of French Ambassador Anne Boillon to express a “firm protest against the actions of two French Embassy employees.” This move comes amid strained relations between the two countries, with Baku accusing France of displaying bias towards Armenia in European-mediated peace talks. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had previously accused France of exacerbating conflicts in the Caucasus by providing military support to Armenia. The historical context includes two wars fought between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku successfully reclaimed the enclave in September through a rapid offensive against Armenian separatists who had held control for three decades. Despite initial hopes for a comprehensive peace agreement by the year’s end, negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, facilitated by international mediation, have shown minimal progress. President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan engaged in talks mediated by the European Union, but in October, Aliyev boycotted negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain, citing France’s perceived “biased position.” The involvement of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with European Council President Charles Michel, as mediators in these talks was anticipated. France, with its substantial Armenian diaspora, has consistently faced accusations from Azerbaijan of favoring Armenia in the territorial conflict between the two Caucasus countries. With inputs from agencies