Covering up government failure is one of the indicators of a failed state, Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, wrote on X in response to French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Bouillon, Report informs.

Hajizada noted that measuring the success of French foreign policy by the number of visa applications appears to be a new method: "However, this strategy's failure to reflect accurate facts once again indicates wrong analysis and incorrect foreign policy. The ambassador is well aware that the French Embassy in Baku doesn't only issue visas for travel to France," he said.

He further emphasized that the real indicator is the increase in applications from French citizens for travel to Azerbaijan, despite France's biased policy and the travel warning issued since September this year. "In September 2023, there were 536 applications, in October 467, while in September 2024, there were 562 applications, and in October 605 applications," Hajizada stated.

Earlier, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Bouillon shared a post on X noting that the number of visa applications has increased this year at the French Embassy in Baku.