Baku, June 18, AZERTAC

"Media reports that France and Armenia signed a contract on the purchase and sale of CAESAR self-propelled howitzers. The fact that France, despite the warnings of the Azerbaijani side, has supplied Armenia with lethal and assault artillery installations and other types of weapons is another evidence of France's provocative activities in the South Caucasus region," Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Although the French Ministry of Defense claimed in October statement of last year that the military equipment supplied to Armenia was of a defensive nature, equipping Armenia with lethal weapons under the current military deal is another manifestation of the hypocrisy of the French leadership.

The Macron regime, pursuing a policy of militarization and geopolitical intrigue in the South Caucasus region, is an obstacle to normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and ensuring lasting peace in the region. The current French leadership, which is excluded from normalization and regional processes due to such a destructive and biased policy, cannot forgive this to Azerbaijan and therefore continues its disruptive policy.

Armenia is a state that committed military aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan. The rearmament of Armenia, which has experience of bloody military aggression, by France, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the Armenian leadership’s support for the revanchist policy is a path to a new war, equal to political irresponsibility.

As a colonial empire, France has historically had a rich hideous experience of creating hotbeds of war and conflict in various parts of the world. The processes occurring in New Caledonia and other coastal colonial territories, the exploitation of local peoples, the plundering of their natural resources, the change in the demographic composition of these territories as a result of racist policies, the suppression of protests by force of blood and weapons, are indicators of the true essence of the Macron regime. Instead of solving such deep-rooted problems, which are a relic of the shameful colonial legacy, and putting an end to neocolonialism, France is conducting a dirty propaganda and disinformation campaign against Azerbaijan.

We declare that the leadership of Armenia, pursuing a revanchist policy, and the Macron dictatorship will bear full responsibility for the aggravation of the situation in the South Caucasus and the emergence of a new hotbed of war," the Ministry added.