Azerbaijan Urges Armenia to Choose Between Peace and Confrontation After Francophonie Summit

Azerbaijan called on Armenia to abandon provocative actions and choose between completing the normalization process or continuing a path of confrontation, after a diplomatic clash at the Francophonie Summit in France earlier this week.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused Armenia of pushing "false narratives" and attempting to undermine the peace process by including provisions targeting Azerbaijan’s sovereignty in the summit's final declaration. The ministry alleged that France, which chaired the summit, supported Armenia’s efforts to insert these points.

"The Armenian side must make a choice: whether to follow the path of completing the normalization process or continue confrontation in all directions," the ministry said in a statement. "Azerbaijan is committed to the process of normalization of relations initiated by it."

The 19th Francophonie Summit, held on October 4-5, brought together 54 member states of the Francophonie, including Armenia. The final resolution supported the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and emphasized the need for respecting the territorial integrity of both nations based on the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991. The declaration also highlighted the importance of regional communications and providing assistance to refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan, which is not a member of the Francophonie, expressed strong objections to the outcome of the summit, arguing that the provisions pushed by Armenia violated the rules of multilateral negotiations. According to Azerbaijan, these provisions lacked consensus and held no political or legal value.