A group of French figures calls on France to boycott the COP-29 conference
Around thirty French figures have published a collective message calling on the French government to boycott the COP-29 conference, which is set to take place in Baku. This was reported by Le Figaro. They protest against severe human rights violations in Azerbaijan, repression of foreign citizens, as well as recent Azerbaijani actions in Artsakh that have led to the forced displacement of the Armenian population.
The holding of this conference, already condemned by representatives of all parliamentary factions, should not contribute to the legitimization of Azerbaijan’s autocratic and corrupt regime or encourage its expansionist and destabilizing ambitions. As this important international event approaches, the Azerbaijani authorities are only intensifying repression against the internal opposition and issuing new threats against Armenia, – the message states.
The initiative is led by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The figures pointed out that Azerbaijan has violated all the points of the November 9, 2020, ceasefire agreement and, in 2023, carried out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.
Is it possible to speak about environmental issues while ignoring the calls for the release of dozens of political prisoners, including Armenian philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan and the other 22 Armenian prisoners of war who are being tortured just a few hundred kilometers away from the location of the conference? The signatories of this message believe that it is not.
The French government has decided to send Minister of Environment Agnès Pannier-Runacher to the COP-29 environmental conference in Azerbaijan. The figures also addressed the arbitrary detention of French citizens in Azerbaijan.