Tokyo, 28 December, /AJMEDIA/
France has declared two employees of the Azerbaijani embassy in Paris persona non grata, AJMEDIA reports.
“France acknowledges Azerbaijan’s decision to declare two members of the French embassy’s diplomatic staff in Azerbaijan persona non grata. We categorically deny the accusations made by Azerbaijan as the basis for its decision,” French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
French MFA emphasizes that its decision is a reciprocal measure.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to France was summoned to the Quai d’Orsay today to be informed of this development.
Meanwhile, on December 26, 2023, French ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Buyon was summoned to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was informed that two embassy staff members had been declared persona non grata by the Azerbaijani government due to activities inconsistent with diplomatic status and in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. These individuals were instructed to leave Azerbaijani territory within 48 hours, as stated in the note handed over to the ambassador.
Earlier a French spy network was exposed in Azerbaijan. The same network was also conducting activities in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and a number of nations in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
The French embassy housed the agent network. They gathered intelligence on delegates from several countries. The network tried to broaden its sphere of influence in the region by identifying new targets.
Many network members had previously served or were presently serving in Azerbaijan, and others worked in other nations and prominent international organizations.
As a result of the efforts of Azerbaijan’s special services, a French citizen, who had been a non-staff member of the French spy network for many years, willingly worked with Azerbaijan’s law enforcement authorities. The source revealed a wealth of crucial information, as well as documentation and documents pertaining to the activity of French agents.
A number of people involved in intelligence activities relating to Ukraine, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have been arrested as part of the criminal case, and others are being investigated by Azerbaijan’s special services.
Extensive information about this is scheduled to be released soon.
