Azerbaijan slams French 'pressure' and 'threats' after Paris recalls envoy

BAKU

Azerbaijan on Wednesday accused France of pressuring and threatening the country after Paris recalled its ambassador and accused the Caucasus country of damaging bilateral ties.

Azerbaijan has slammed France on multiple occasions over what it sees as the country's support for rival Armenia in a long-running stand-off between the neighbors.

"The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated to France that speaking in a language of threat and pressure will not bring any results, and once again declares that it will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron recalled ambassador Anne Boillon to Paris to discuss ties with Azerbaijan, the Foreign Ministry in Paris said on April 16.

Azerbaijani government has rejected France playing a role in mediating talks with Armenia over an elusive peace deal between the two ex-Soviet countries.

It has also criticized arms deals between France and Armenia.

Hajizada said that France had taken "open and explicit anti-Azerbaijan actions" and launched a "smear campaign" that had thwarted "the efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia."

Meanwhile, The Kremlin announced Wednesday that Russian peacekeepers have begun withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan's recapture of the territory from Armenian separatists last year.

Azerbaijani state media reported this week that Russian troops had begun leaving positions held as part of a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire between Baku and Yerevan.

They posted videos and photos showing armored vehicles with Russian flags purportedly driving out of the territory.

Asked about the reports that Russian peacekeepers had started a withdrawal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Yes, that's true."

He did not provide further details.