France Summons Azerbaijani Ambassador Amid Tensions

On November 20, France's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ann Bouillon, was summoned by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to accusations that France was targeting Azerbaijan's presidency during the COP29 conference. Azerbaijan condemned France's calls for a boycott of the event it is hosting and criticized the European Parliament for adopting a resolution that unjustly criticized Azerbaijan's climate efforts, attributing this to France's influence. The Azerbaijani ministry also highlighted France's arms supply to Armenia as detrimental to the peace process and urged France to cease its actions that threaten normalization. Concurrently, France summoned the Azerbaijani ambassador in Paris over remarks deemed unacceptable by French authorities, prompting the cancellation of Climate Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher's attendance at COP29. This diplomatic tension escalated following President Ilham Aliyev's accusations against France regarding its overseas actions. Both countries are currently in a standoff, reflecting significant diplomatic strains ahead of the climate conference.