What is behind the rift between Azerbaijan and France?

Relations between Azerbaijan and France, never cordial, have now become almost hostile.
The French Senate on Nov. 15 adopted a resolution that was strongly biased in favor of Armenia. This was followed by another resolution, this time by the lower house of the parliament, adopting the same line. Neither of the texts have any binding effect, but will nevertheless damage relations between Azerbaijan and France.
During the lower house debates, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that the resolution was not binding on the French government. However, the steps taken by both parliamentary chambers will immediately raise tensions.
One concrete effect of the French move will be to weaken the country’s role as one of the co-chairs of the moribund Minsk Group. Partly because of France’s obstructive attitude, the group, which was set up to help negotiate a settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is known for having done everything to keep the issue unresolved for almost 30 years. It was only thanks to military action triggered by the Karabakh and mainland Armenians that the latter suffered a decisive defeat and came to the brink of total collapse. Only a Russian-brokered ceasefire stopped the Azerbaijani army from seizing Xankendi (Stepanakert), the capital of Karabakh, an autonomous region of Azerbaijan.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on the record pointing out that the international community recognizes Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. He has emphasized that the Karabakh issue is not a matter of sovereignty, but about protecting the rights and freedoms of Armenians living in the region.
At one stage, it was thought that Charles Michel, president of the European Council, would take the lead. He held extensive talks with both Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. However, when Russian President Vladimir Putin invited both leaders to Sochi, it was a sign that Russia was taking the reins on the issue.
On Dec. 3, Azerbaijani authorities decided to inspect vehicles passing through the Lachin corridor that links Armenia with Karabakh. There was nothing surprising in this, as the authorities were checking the identity of foreigners entering their territory. Nevertheless, vehicles have been held for almost three hours.

The interference of outside actors such as the EU, France, Russia or the US will only complicate the Azerbaijani-Armenian imbroglio.

Yasar Yakis

These checks had been avoided since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in November 2020 despite Azerbaijan’s right to carry out inspections. Article 6 of the agreement provided for the construction of a road that would bypass the territory of Shusha. This road was going to become an exchange of concession for the Zangezur corridor that would link the Nakhichevan exclave to Azerbaijan proper. However, Armenia is dragging its feet on the construction of this corridor.
France has blocked any solution to the Karabakh issue for almost 30 years and has maintained a negative attitude since the ceasefire agreement. It will have to work hard to be part of any peace initiative that involves Azerbaijan. France’s distorted logic has become so extreme that it accused Russia of helping Azerbaijan, while — on the contrary — Baku claimed that Moscow was helping Armenian paratroopers to smuggle arms via the Lachin corridor.
France did not stop there. Going beyond the official Armenian position, the French Senate proposed the proclamation of an independent state for Armenians in Karabakh. France’s attitude completely disregards the fact that all countries in the international community, including Armenia itself, consider Karabakh part and parcel of Azerbaijan.
Now, with the grossly biased attitude of both French parliamentary chambers clearly evident, Aliyev believes there is no point involving France in anything related to the Karabakh issue.
Meanwhile, Russia has its own plans for establishing a permanent presence in the Caucasus in order to keep Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict alive indefinitely.
There are at present two texts to solve the Karabakh crisis. One was drafted by Russia, the other by Azerbaijan. Armenia has added its own comments to the Azerbaijani text. In other words, there is an indigenous text for the solution of the Karabakh problem. It is a golden opportunity for the directly interested countries to have a text that they can work from. The best solution under the present circumstances would therefore be to leave the two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia, to sort out their problems without a third-party involvement.
The interference of outside actors such as the EU, France, Russia or the US will only complicate the Azerbaijani-Armenian imbroglio.

• Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar