French city hall — a branch of Karabakh revanchism?

Political cynicism and selective blindness have long become the calling card of France's foreign policy course.

Yet another confirmation of this destructive trend is set to be an exhibition at the city hall of the French capital dedicated to the former leaders of the Karabakh separatist regime — individuals convicted by the Baku Military Court of grave war crimes and crimes against humanity. Baku's sharp reaction was not long in coming: Azerbaijan's ambassador to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, sent Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire an official letter of protest. The document firmly and with utmost clarity emphasizes: Karabakh is a lawful territory of Azerbaijan recognized by the entire world community, which is confirmed by international law and has been publicly acknowledged even by France and Armenia themselves.

However, the French capital is once again demonstrating open disregard for the norms of international law and for fundamental logic. The plan to stage a public tribute to defendants in criminal cases is not merely a mistake or an oversight, but a deliberate mockery of justice and of the memory of the victims of a years-long conflict. Attempts by French officials to present those responsible for ethnic cleansing, the destruction of entire cities and the deaths of thousands of civilians as "freedom fighters" or "political prisoners" represent the height of moral degradation. This is the direct whitewashing of war criminals at the official European level, carried out with particular sophistication and public cynicism.

Behind the current provocation stand entirely specific organizers. The initiative to hold the scandalous exhibition belongs to the Paris municipality and the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) — a structure openly promoting a radical and revanchist agenda. This step is merely a continuation of a deliberate series of destructive acts. Let us recall that back in 2020 the Paris city council adopted a shameful appeal to the country's government calling for recognition of the "independence" of the illegal separatist entity on the territory of Azerbaijan. Later, the Paris city hall initiated so-called "humanitarian aid" to the separatists, and a delegation headed by then-Mayor Anne Hidalgo personally arrived in Armenia and demonstratively traveled as far as the Hakari bridge, acting as their advocates. In November of that same year, 2020, the Paris city council unanimously granted the status of "honorary citizens of Paris" to residents of the failed separatist enclave, cementing the city's "political, moral and humanitarian solidarity" with those who trampled on the sovereignty of a neighboring state.

Such legal and moral nihilism has unfortunately afflicted not only the capital's administration, but other regions of France as well. Earlier, in December 2025, the municipality of Nice openly hung on the facade of the city hall portraits of the arrested leaders of the Karabakh separatists with a "categorical demand for their immediate release." When the local self-government bodies of a state that claims the status of one of the load-bearing pillars of European democracy turn their administrative buildings and exhibition halls into display stands in support of persons accused of mass killings, torture and occupation, this testifies to a deep systemic crisis of the entire French political system.

In its policy against Azerbaijan, Paris has long since cast aside any pretense of neutrality. In words, the French leadership continuously declares its commitment to the principles of the rule of law, the protection of human rights and the inviolability of borders. In practice, however, when it comes to the South Caucasus, these declarations are instantly discarded. The French authorities easily and effortlessly turn their public institutions into a platform for supporting separatism, openly encouraging encroachments on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Behind this fuss one can discern shameful political populism. Time and again, French officials and deputies sell out international law and diplomatic ethics for momentary gain, seeking to win votes and financial support from radicalized circles of the local diaspora ahead of the next elections. In pursuit of electoral points, they are ready to completely turn a blind eye to court rulings, historical facts and UN documents, feeding their own public crude fabrications and fueling street revanchism.

It is perfectly obvious that official Paris has finally and irrevocably lost the right to claim the role of peacemaker or impartial arbiter in the region. France has voluntarily turned itself into a biased party whose contribution to regional affairs is reduced exclusively to provocations and the creation of artificial points of tension. Any European initiative launched under the pretext of "protecting culture" or "supporting the oppressed" turns out, upon closer inspection, to be banal sabotage aimed at undermining the peace agreements between Baku and Yerevan.

It is time for the French political class to grasp one simple and unchanging thing: the reality on the ground has changed radically, and the process of restoring Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its entire territory is final. No decisions of city councils, no populism of French officials, no performances within the walls of the Paris city hall are capable of crossing out international law and changing the status of Karabakh. Attempts to dispute this fact with the help of cheap propaganda actions look helpless, pitiful and hysterical.

The Azerbaijani diplomat's letter addressed to the French authorities is a firm signal that Baku does not intend to tolerate such provocative sorties. France, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, bears direct responsibility for maintaining the global legal order, not for destroying it. The only way for Paris to preserve at least the remnants of its face on the international arena is to immediately stop encouraging revanchists, to renounce interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states and to return to unconditional observance of the basic norms of international law.