French channels continue anti-Azerbaijan rhetoric
Fatima Latifova
Read moreThe Olympic Games have always been remembered as an event that contributes to peace and calls for an end to war. However, French television channels continue to violate these principles by displaying political bias. On July 26, during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games held in Paris, the biased stance and provocation against Baku by the "France 2" television channel was continued by the “France24” channel.
The channel discussed the "controversial" state of human rights in Azerbaijan, citing the “blockade” of Garabagh and the “forced” displacement of the “Armenian population” due to the local anti-terror operation carried out in September 2023. Despite official Yerevan not making such a claim, “France24” referred to the voluntary and threat-free departure of Armenians from Garabagh as “genocide” and cited the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo. The channel specifically broadcast the former prosecutor's claim that the imprisonment of separatists Arkadi Gukasyan, Bako Saakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan in Baku was illegal.
Interestingly, Ruben Vardanyan, who has played a significant role in laundering dirty money for the Russian authorities, was presented on the channel as a “philanthropic businessman.” However, Western media and researchers have repeatedly presented substantial evidence against this individual. These facts demonstrate the extent of the French channel’s support for terrorism.
It should be noted that when Azerbaijan liberated its historical lands, it treated even the separatists, who had previously carried out vandalism there, with maximum humanitarianism. The Azerbaijani government offered citizenship to the Armenian population that later settled in Garabagh and ensured the safe return to Armenia of those who rejected the offer. To speak of forced displacement in this context is hypocritical because the real genocide occurred 30 years ago in Khojaly and Meshali during Armenian attacks. As a result of these acts, 1 million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their lands, and the fate of nearly 4,000 Azerbaijanis remains unknown. It is expected that France and other hypocritical states pursuing pro-Armenian policies would deny these facts.
Currently, France does not intend to cease its provocative activities against Azerbaijan and is interested in using all events—including the Olympic Games in Paris and the COP29 to be held in Baku—for its own malicious purposes. It should be noted that the International Olympic Committee has apologized to Azerbaijan for the remarks made by the “France2” television channel correspondent during the commentary on the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The letter stated that such words contradict the principles and values promoted by the International Olympic Committee through sports and the Olympic Games. Therefore, the responsible organizations and individuals have been contacted, and the working principles and protocols of the IOC have been reminded to prevent such incidents in the future. However, the French government has not yet made a statement to Azerbaijan regarding these provocative actions and continues to carry biased policies into sports.
It should be noted that during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, France intentionally mispronounced the names of countries, called Armenia a friend, presented Azerbaijan as an aggressor, and displayed scenes that insulted and humiliated world Christianity. This was perceived as a lack of culture and mockery of religious values by world Christians. The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was also criticized by well-known figures around the world.
Aprire le Olimpiadi insultando miliardi di Cristiani nel mondo è stato davvero un pessimo inizio, cari francesi. Squallidi. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/3RpNvUundd
— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) July 27, 2024
Official Paris demonstrated that it is not pursuing far-sighted political or diplomatic policies. The Azerbaijani government, however, does not take the provocations by a country like France seriously. It should be noted that the Armenian army, supported and armed by France for years, could not withstand the Azerbaijani army for even two months and faced a disgraceful defeat. Undoubtedly, the intentions of countries like France to drag Azerbaijan into war and present it as an aggressor state before the international community will result in the Armenian army facing another defeat.
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