France can be cited as the orderer of recent Armenian provocations, the director of the Report Information Agency, Fuad Huseynaliyev, told ARB TV.

He noted that Armenia has been armed by Western countries for some time. Huseynaliyev recalled that, in addition to weapons produced in India under a French license, weapons are also sent directly from France to Armenia: “Europe, France, and several other countries are actually in favor of re-igniting the conflict in the region. Thus, they tried to give tools to the revanchist forces. Increasing the number of the EU mission, which is supposed to observe the processes related to security at the border, reveals the true goal of the West. The goal is to keep the revanchist forces in Armenia at bay, arm them, and prevent the conflict from ending with a peace treaty. The latest provocation of Armenia is a clear example of this.”

According to him, after the provocation that resulted in the injury of an Azerbaijani soldier in Zangilan, the Armenian side sent a message that it was the action of some low-rank soldier and that the incident had been investigated, the culprit would be found and punished.

“But the repetition of the provocation in the direction of Tovuz that night shows that the decision was made by the leadership of Armenia. It is possible to point to France as the orderer of these events. Paris, which is the most zealous among all Western countries, and which prevents peace from coming to the region, has its own goals. France is trying to keep the possibility of intervention in the region,” he said.

According to the director of the agency, the fact that Russia takes an objective position on these issues and stands aside is one of the reasons for France’s activation: “Russia does not support or blame any side. It invites both sides to the negotiation table. France, however, is stepping up its actions because it is left out of the process. Russia presents counterarguments to Western propaganda in Armenia, and opposes Moscow’s attempts to withdraw from Armenia.”

Huseynaliyev noted that the fate of Russian peacekeepers stationed in the region and other issues are to be settled only with the official Baku: “No foreign force, even Armenia itself, is involved here. However, the peacekeepers were deployed in the region based on the tripartite declaration. But Russia also understands that after securing Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, there is absolutely no need to ask or clarify anything from Armenia. That is why the role of France became active. Paris is trying to get Russia out of Armenia. They built the main rhetoric around revanchist forces. They tell the revanchists that 'they will give weapons and power to hinder the achievement of peace and prolong the process as much as possible.”