Macron recalls ambassador to Azerbaijan as relations strain over Armenia

French president Emmanual Macron distrusts Azerbaijan’s future plans for Armenia while Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev takes issue with French-Armenia defense cooperation (WikiCommons).

Tensions between France and Azerbaijan escalated on April 16 when French President Emmanual Macron recalled Anne Bouillon, the French ambassador to Azerbaijan, to Paris “for consultations,” according to Le Monde. In a statement from the foreign ministry, Macron denounced Azerbaijan for continuing, “in recent months, unilateral actions damaging to the relationship between our two countries.”  

Relations between France and Azerbaijan have long been strained due to France’s close ties with Armenia, but the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has brought antagonism to a head. 

Armenian separatists seized Nagorno-Karabakh when the Soviet Union fell during a bloody conflict that stretched from 1988-1994 and resulted in the deaths of over 30,000, writes the Council on Foreign Relations. Azerbaijani forces reclaimed most of the territory in 2020 and officially dissolved the pre-existing government in January 2024, prompting a mass exodus of Armenians from the region.

Macron and other French officials have voiced concerns that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has ambitions for Armenian territory that stretch beyond Nagorno-Karabakh, France 24 reports. 

According to France 24, Macron asserted during his meeting with Bouillon that he “regretted Azerbaijan’s actions and expressed a wish for clarification by the Azerbaijani side of its intentions,” and “[reiterated] [France’s] support for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, while respecting international law and the territorial integrity of the two countries.” 

French-Armenian relations have strengthened in recent years as Armenian-Russian relations have strained. The friendship between France and Armenia is reflected in defense cooperation, with Armenia purchasing precision rifles from French arms manufacturer PGM in February 2024, and the sale of defense equipment––three radar systems in addition to night vision goggles––from France to Armenia in October 2023, reports Le Monde. 

Azerbaijan slammed Macron on April 17, perceiving Bouillon’s recall as an act of pressure and menace. According to Le Monde, Aykhan Hajizada, Azerbaijan's foreign ministry spokesperson, stated, “The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated to France that speaking in a language of threat and pressure will not bring any results, and once again declares that it will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests.” Hajizada further decried France, reports France24, for its “open and explicit anti-Azerbaijan actions,” accusing the country of launching a “smear campaign” that undermined “efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”