During the press conference of the European Political Community in Granada on October 5, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Azerbaijan for taking military action in Nagorno-Karabakh, insisting that the French government's position was correct even if Baku considered it biased in Armenia's favor.

"France has no problem with Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan seems to have a problem with international law," Macron said. He added sanctions against Azerbaijan would be counterproductive at this point.

Moreover, Bujar Osmani, the Acting Chairman of the OSCE and the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, made similar remarks about the recent regional escalation.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Responds to Bujar Osmani

On October 6, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned and rejected the statement made by Bujar Osmani.

"This statement clearly contradicts the mandate of the OSCE chairmanship, including the mandate to ensure that the activities of the chairmanship do not contradict the positions agreed by all the member states of the OSCE, in accordance with Decision No. 8 of the Porto meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council. Against the background of decades of unacceptable disregard of OSCE principles and obligations by Armenia, this position based on one-sided and biased opinions cannot be considered reasonable. Abuse of the OSCE, its Presidency, and other structures for such purposes also undermines efforts to find solutions to the problems that this Organization is currently facing," the report added.

"We would like to remind the OSCE that it has a chance to be a part of the solution, which has failed for many years due to the destructive position of Armenia and several participating states that have tried to be mediators. Despite Azerbaijan's consistent calls for compliance with its current obligations, the Organization has been prevented from fulfilling its mandate to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and the right of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani IDPs to return to their homes for decades. Our calls to the OSCE to play a positive role in post-conflict reconstruction and reconstruction efforts, including demining, have also been ignored," the information said.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Responds to Emmanuel Macron

On the same day, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations against Azerbaijan made by Emmanuel Macron.

"The claims of the French President regarding the refusal of Azerbaijan and Turkey to participate in Granada are an example of hypocrisy. It is well known to each of the participants of the event that it was the French side that opposed Turkey's participation in the meeting. The French President spreading false information on this matter is an unbecoming approach for the head of state. It is unacceptable that France, which is remembered in history for its genocidal policy and is the only country among the European Union member states that did not join the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities, tries to teach Azerbaijan a lesson about the rights of minorities, where many ethnic peoples live in peace and tranquility, and which sets an example with its multicultural and multiethnic values," the report said.

"It is ridiculous that France, which turned a blind eye to the occupation of nearly 20% of Azerbaijan's territories by Armenia, and the fact that Armenia is still occupying eight villages of Azerbaijan, accuses Azerbaijan of occupying 150 square kilometers of Armenian territories. Azerbaijan has not occupied the territory of any country, and it is illogical to claim that the territories where the forces of Azerbaijan are stationed on the delimited border belong to Armenia," the information noted.

"Similarly, during the entire negotiation process, the need to abolish the Armenian armed forces and the so-called regime, which was not removed from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan until the anti-terrorist measures, was repeatedly emphasized by Azerbaijan. In this regard, there is no basis for the claims that the French President allegedly promised Azerbaijan would not use force against the illegal separatist regime. If France, instead of giving false promises to Armenia, had given Armenia the right direction, there would have been no need to resolve the threat against Azerbaijan by force, and the issue would have been resolved peacefully," the ministry emphasized.