Emmanuel Macron appeared on Azerbaijani television, but in an unexpected way. The independent media Eurasianet reports which the public television channel ITV aired, then published on his social networks Tuesday, an excerpt showing a presenter singing an anti-Macron song, with a choir of children in the background.
The song accuses the French president of being pro-Armenian and of having made “false promises” to Azerbaijan. The children sing “E-MMAN-U-EL” with each sung accusation. The channel has also published excerpts in recent days criticizing the interview conducted by Macron on France 2.
On October 12, Emmanuel Macron declared on the public channel that “Armenia is a country with which we have a unique bond”.
“We don’t let them down,” he added.
Statements “insulting” to Azerbaijan
Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed in two wars in the past three decades for the control of Nagorny Karabakh. the 2020 conflict had ended via a ceasefire and a mediation from Russia, which has deployed a contingent of peacekeepers on the spot.
Armenia ceded territories it had controlled for decades and Moscow deployed some 2,000 Russian soldiers to watch over this fragile truce.
“Azerbaijan launched a terrible war” in 2020, said Emmanuel Macron on France 2.
In September, at least 286 people were killed in new clashes at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
At the end of September, Emmanuel Macron called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to dialogue regarding the “many” issues that remain unresolved between the two countries. The French president then declared in October that the start of the offensive was on the initiative of Azerbaijan.
“Despite the good will shown by Azerbaijan”, the French president made “insulting, unacceptable, false and provocative statements”, denounced Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev two days after the interview, at a political summit.
“We exercised our right to self-defense and restored our territorial integrity by force,” he added.