BAKU. Aug 31 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan presented a protest note to French Ambassador Anne Bouillon on Thursday in connection with the sending of vehicles to the Lachin border checkpoint and anti-Azerbaijani comments by certain French mayors, including the mayor of Paris, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
"French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Bouillon was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on August 31. The Foreign Ministry presented the French ambassador with a protest note in connection with the sending of vehicles to the Lachin checkpoint [on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border] under the guise of humanitarian aid accompanied by the mayors of several French cities, including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and the provocative anti-Azerbaijani comments made by those officials," the ministry said.
Such steps of the French side "are not just a direct interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan" but also an infringement on "its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry said.
"These provocative actions, which serve as an instrument of the false campaign of manipulation by Armenia, are yet another example of steps aimed to escalate the situation in the region, with France encouraging Armenia to continue its revanchist stance, which has been intensifying in recent days," it said.
"The Azerbaijani side described the demonstrative attempt to send the cargo to the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan without the approval [of Baku] and contrary to its will as a provocation and presented a strong protest to French side. France was urged to stop acting against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan thus endangering the already fragile normalization process actively promoted by international actors," the ministry said.