Baku responds to France's call to refrain from traveling to Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani authorities have condemned the French Foreign Ministry for issuing a warning regarding travel to the republic. This statement was made by the press secretary of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Ayhan Hajizade. He also refuted the arguments presented on the French ministry's website that citizens of the country are detained and persecuted in Azerbaijan.

Hajizade noted that so far only one French citizen, Martin Ryan, has been detained in Azerbaijan as a suspect in espionage. Another Frenchman, Tego Hugo, was detained for an act committed in the Baku metro. At the same time, the press secretary recalled that the French authorities have in every possible way hindered Azerbaijani journalists during their visits to the country, thus violating human rights.

"We strongly condemn the warning regarding travel to Azerbaijan issued by the French Foreign Ministry, which cited unfounded allegations that French citizens are allegedly detained and persecuted in Azerbaijan as an argument," the Baku statement said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic demanded an end to the slanderous campaign against Azerbaijan.

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