Attacks against Macron, boycott of Cop29… The reasons for the anger between Azerbaijan and France

New episode of tensions between Paris and Baku. French Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced Wednesday that she would not go to COP29 after the “unacceptable” attacks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev “against France and Europe” held during the conference. the UN on climate change, chaired this year by Azerbaijan. But what is it exactly? We'll explain it to you.

What is the context?

Well, already, you should know that relations between Azerbaijan and France have been very tense for a while. The reason: French support for Armenia, Azerbaijan's historic enemy. These tensions have been exacerbated since Baku regained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave following a lightning offensive in September 2023, at the cost of the exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians. But that's not all. Paris has accused Azerbaijan of interference during recent riots in New Caledonia. Allegations rejected by Baku.

What does the Azerbaijani president accuse Macron of?

In a speech at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated his attacks on Paris, denouncing France's colonial history and speaking of “crimes” of “President Macron's regime” in its overseas territories , including New Caledonia. “The lessons of France's crimes in these so-called overseas territories would not be complete without mentioning the regime's recent human rights violations,” he said. “President Macron's regime killed 13 people and injured 169 people […] during the legitimate protests of the Kanak people in New Caledonia,” he said, much applauded at the end of his speech by some of the representatives of the islands.

What was the government reaction?

From Paris, the French Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher deemed these comments “against France and against Europe” “unacceptable” in front of senators. During the question session with the government, she criticized Azerbaijan for exploiting “the fight against climate change for an unworthy personal agenda”. According to her, these attacks also constitute a “blatant violation of the code of conduct” of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“The direct attacks against our country, its institutions and its territories are unjustifiable,” criticized Agnès Pannier-Runacher, “the comments made by Azerbaijan in favor of fossil fuels are also unacceptable.” “This is unworthy of a COP presidency,” she continued. Result: the minister announced that she would not go to Baku next week, considering it “ironic that Azerbaijan, a repressive and liberticidal regime, gives lessons in human rights”.