BAKU. Dec 28 (Interfax) - The French Foreign Ministry's decision to declare two employees of the Azerbaijani embassy to France personae non gratae is yet another mistake made by Paris, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said.
"The Azerbaijani ambassador in Paris was baselessly summoned to the French Foreign Ministry yesterday and informed that France had declared two employees of the Azerbaijani embassy personae non gratae, and that they must leave the country within 48 hours. We view such actions by Paris in the context of Azerbaijani-French relations as yet another mistake [made] by France," Bayramov said at an end-of-year press conference on Thursday.
France explained its decision in terms of the expulsion of two French diplomats by Azerbaijan the day before.
Baku sent a corresponding note to Paris and presented evidence of the French diplomats' activity incompatible with their diplomatic status before announcing their expulsion, Bayramov said.
France's decision to expel two employees of the Azerbaijani embassy in Paris as a retaliatory measure was reported on December 27.
"France takes note of Azerbaijan's decision to declare two of the diplomatic staff of the French Embassy in Azerbaijan personae non gratae. [...] France has declared two employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in France personae non gratae as a retaliatory measure," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it summoned Azerbaijani Ambassador in Paris Leyla Abdullayeva to inform her about the decision.
Baku-Paris relations have been going through an acute crisis. The Azerbaijani authorities have said on numerous occasions that the French leadership represented by the president and the foreign minister had taken an overtly anti-Azerbaijani stance and pursued a course towards destabilization of the South Caucasus, in particular by supplying arms to Armenia. Baku also accused Paris of attempting to thwart the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process.