Baku outraged by French mayor's visit to occupied Azeri lands
BAKU. Oct 8 (Interfax) - A visit by the mayor of the French city of Bourg-les-Valence, Marlene Mourier, to the occupied Azeri territories and the signing of a "declaration of friendship" between the Azeri city of Shusha, seized by Armenia, and Bourg-les-Valence during this visit runs counter to France's mediation mission as the co-chair in the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Minsk Group, according to Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev.
"The signing by the mayor of Bourg-les-Valence of any document with the illegal and self-proclaimed regime created by Armenia on the basis of aggression and occupation is against the French laws and France's mediating role as the co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group," the spokesperson said.
Mourier's visit to the occupied Azeri lands without the appropriate approval from officials in Baku is illegal and violates the law on "The national border of the Azerbaijani Republic," Hajiyev said.
"Such an illegal step by the mayor of Bourg-les-Valence ahead of a meeting initiated by President Francois Hollande between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris is a provocation," said Hajiyev.
