Turkey condemned Thursday, November 26 a text voted the day before by the French senate demanding "
the recognition of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
", a separatist region of Azerbaijan mostly populated by Armenians at the center of a deadly conflict this fall .
Read also: The Senate votes for the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
"
The resolution voted by the French Senate is an example of the contempt for the principles of international law (...) for domestic policy considerations
", declared the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
In the text it voted, the Senate condemns "
the military aggression of Azerbaijan, carried out with the support of the Turkish authorities and foreign mercenaries
", and calls for "
the immediate withdrawal
" of these armed forces from the territories taken. since September 27.
The upper house of the French parliament also calls for an "
international investigation into the war crimes committed in Nagorno-Karabakh
" and invites the government to draw the consequences of the "
role played by the Turkish authorities
", Ankara having taken up the cause for Baku in the conflict.
Turkey has rejected the accusations, calling them "
unfounded allegations
".
Ankara further considered that the Senate's call for Azerbaijan to withdraw from the conquered territories was "
ridiculous, biased and out of touch
."
Judging that the Senate vote, which is not binding, reflects France's “
Turkish obsession
”, the Turkish ministry nevertheless affirmed that Ankara was ready to work with Paris for a lasting settlement to the conflict.
The Senate vote took place in the midst of diplomatic tensions between France and Turkey, notably linked to disagreements over Syria, Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean.
These tensions intensified even at the end of October, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a boycott of French products, accusing his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of "
Islamophobia
" for having defended the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad in the framework. for freedom of expression and for his speech against “
Islamist separatism
”.
Nagorno Karabakh proclaimed its independence nearly 30 years ago, but it has not been recognized by the international community.
After six weeks of fighting that began on September 27, a cessation of hostilities agreement was finally signed on November 9 under the aegis of the Kremlin, at a time when the military situation was catastrophic for Armenia.
Under the terms of the agreement, which entered into force on November 10, Armenia pledged to return several Azerbaijani districts out of Baku's control for 30 years.
Read also: Nagorno-Karabakh: marginalized Western diplomacy