On January 6, Emmanuel Macron, the French President, accused US entrepreneur Elon Musk, the owner of social network X, of supporting a "new reactionary international" and alleged Azerbaijan's "unacceptable interference" in France's overseas territories.

During a conference of ambassadors in Paris, Macron stated that democracy is under threat and instability prevails globally, citing recent incidents of interference. Referring to events in New Caledonia, he said, "France itself has been attacked by unacceptable interference by Azerbaijan in most of its overseas territories in recent months, especially in New Caledonia." Macron also accused Russia of manipulating elections in Romania and threatening its neighbors. He criticized Moscow for shifting its alliance with Armenia and supporting Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. He added that Azerbaijan failed to understand France’s efforts to defend international law and Armenia, assuming the issue had been resolved.

Macron further remarked, "If we were told that the owner of one of the world's largest social networks would support a new reactionary international and directly interfere in elections, including in Germany, who would have imagined it?" 

In response to these allegations, Aykhan Hajizada, the Spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, rejected Macron’s claims as baseless and provocative. Hajizada emphasized, "The French President’s yet another baseless claim against Azerbaijan and provocative statements that distort real facts are unacceptable." He criticized France for its failure to acknowledge Armenia's actions against Azerbaijan, including ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and crimes against humanity.

Hajizada reiterated that Azerbaijan’s military actions were a "just war" conducted on its sovereign territories under international law to end the Armenian occupation. He condemned France's statements as undermining Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, fostering Armenian revanchism, and supporting militarization in the region. "At a time when real conditions for peace have been created in the region, we strongly condemn such provocative statements by France," Hajizada added.

He further accused France of using Azerbaijan as a scapegoat for its "unsuccessful activities in its overseas territories," which he referred to as manifestations of France’s neo-colonial policies. "Instead of blaming other countries, it would be more useful for France to learn from its incompetent foreign policy," Hajizada stated. He demanded that France cease actions undermining regional stability and peace.