Azerbaijan accuses Macron of distorting outcome of meeting on peace treaty with Armenia

MOSCOW (AA) - Azerbaijan on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of distorting the outcome of Thursday’s meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, France and Germany and the head of the European Council in Moldova.

"The unilateral statement about the meeting made by the president of France does not reflect and distorts the positions of the parties. Unfortunately, this is not the first case of such behavior on the part of France, and it does not contribute at all to the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, peace and stability in the region," said Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hacizade.

After the meeting, Macron claimed that the European leaders called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to comply with all their obligations, in particular, to release prisoners of war as soon as possible, and stressed the importance of "protecting rights and guarantees for Armenians living in Karabakh."

An informal meeting was held Thursday in Moldova’s capital between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, France and Germany and the head of the European Council to discuss the normalization process between Yerevan and Baku.

Following the meeting, European Council President Charles Michel said the event was "a very good preparation for the next one," which will take place in Brussels on July 21, he added.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The Russia-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.