ArmInfo.The French foreign office regards as inadmissible the remarks concerning the French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse after her visit to Nagorno-Karabakh.
On the other hand, it expects French MPs and officials to inform the country's authorities of their trips beforehand, French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian stated in Parliament.
President Aliyev's remarks concern an elective officer and a French presidential candidate and are unacceptable in form and in essence, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian said. He added that he informed the Azerbaijani ambassador of it, TASS reports.
The minister reminded the MPs that both they and other officials inform the foreign office of their trips irrespective of the goals.
The Azerbaijani foreign office promptly responded to Jean-Yves Le Drian's statement. Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva accused him of "violating the rules of diplomatic etiquette in commenting on President Ilham Aliyev's words."
She claimed the Azerbaijani president's threats addressed to the French presidential candidate were grounded.
In January 12 interview with Azerbaijani media, President Aliyev was critical of Ms Pecresse. If Azerbaijan had been informed of her illegal visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, she would not have been allowed to leave the country, he said.
In her turn, Ms Pecresse was critical of the French government over being silent. "A government that does not protect its presidential candidate who made a trip to a remote part of the world and was attacked - it is a row," she said.
According to Le Journal du Dimanche, in a letter signed by the majority of LR deputies, senators and MEPs (a little less than 250 political figures), they call on Macron, to demand on behalf of France, that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev apologize to French presidential candidate from the Republicans party
Valerie Pecresse for scandalous remarks about a French politician.
"Should we tolerate the government of any other state forbidding representatives elected by the French people to visit the territory, which, we recall, does not belong to this state, or would threaten to encroach on their freedom, up to their physical safety", the letter of the legislators reads.
In this vein, the MPs reminded Aliyev that the French are free, and France is a sovereign state. "France cannot accept any threat, must not succumb to any intimidation, especially when they are made by a despot, who calls Armenians "dogs", who during the conflict with Armenia used prohibited weapons and jihadist mercenaries and constantly demonstrated how little he values human dignity.
"Therefore, Mr. President, we ask on behalf of France to demand that the Republic of Azerbaijan officially ask for forgiveness, and if this does not happen as soon as possible, we demand that the French ambassador be recalled from Azerbaijan. This is a matter of both France's values and its honor. This is also about the support that we owe to the Armenian people, who, despite the aggression, provocations and humiliation of Azerbaijan, are firmly and worthily going through trials. The position of France should be equal to the example of Armenia, which worthily passes through the crucible of suffering, which causes admiration", the letter notes.
"France can not leave these scandalous statements unanswered, since this statement is not only a call to hatred against the French statesman, the president of the Ile-de-France region and the candidate for the presidency of France, but also an undisguised threat directed to the French people, the government of France and its representatives, taking into account the relations of our country with Armenia.