On April 3, Aykhan Hajizada, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, condemned the remarks made by Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in the French National Assembly, stating that portraying the long-standing issue of amending Armenia’s constitution as a new precondition was unacceptable.

During his statement, Aykhan Hajizada firmly rejected the allegations made by Jean-Noël Barrot during his speech at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly on April 2, 2025, regarding the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process and the judicial proceedings concerning individuals of Armenian origin.

Hajizada emphasized that discussions over the need to amend the Armenian constitution—due to its territorial claims against Azerbaijan—have been ongoing for more than two and a half years and should not be presented as a newly imposed condition. He stated that if France truly supported the timely signing of a peace agreement, it should urge Armenia to take responsible steps toward that goal.

Addressing the French minister's calls for the release of persons of Armenian origin accused or convicted of serious crimes such as war crimes, ethnic cleansing, military aggression, and torture, Hajizada stated that Azerbaijan has the legitimate right to investigate and prosecute such offenses. He referred to the Opinion of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, issued on March 13, 2025, which confirmed the legality of these proceedings and dismissed the smear campaign against Azerbaijan’s judicial actions as baseless.

Hajizada criticized France for attempting to interfere in the internal judicial affairs of other countries, suggesting instead that it should address its own issues, including political persecution, the killing of protesters at rallies, the torture of populations in its overseas territories due to its neocolonial policies, and widespread corruption in the French Parliament. As an example, he pointed to a contradictory moment in the same parliamentary session where the French minister refused to comment on a domestic court ruling when questioned about the misuse of the judicial system against political opponents—highlighting what Hajizada called the French government’s double standards.

He concluded by demanding that France refrain from actions that undermine peace and stability in the region.