Azerbaijan’s Information Warfare Against France

Since 2023, Azerbaijan has waged an information warfare against France, at times escalating into hybrid warfare. This effort is driven by France’s criticism of Azerbaijan’s actions, including the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, military offensives against the Republic of Armenia resulting in the occupation of more than 200 square km-s of its border areas, political support by France for Armenia in the UN Security Council and the European Union, and its support to Armenia to restore its defense sector. Azerbaijan’s anti-French campaign has extended far beyond France’s support for Armenia, reaching the French Overseas Territories and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Baku has targeted not only France but also any international actor expressing support for Armenia or concern for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, such as the EU, the U.S., international organizations (i.e. the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and their parliamentary assemblies), watchdogs like Freedom House, international scholars, analysts, and journalists. 

France took that decision in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s military offensive leading to the full displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. 

Azerbaijan’s anti-French narratives fall into several main categories:

• Accusing France of "patronage" of Armenia and undermining Azerbaijan’s sovereignty;
• Denouncing French "colonialism" in its Overseas Territories, Mayotte and Corsica;
• Criticizing French "neocolonialism" in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Accusing France for being a "dictatorship," at the same time labeling it as a "failed country" for its liberal values. 

This article debunks Azerbaijani false narratives about France, highlights their resemblance to Russian disinformation strategies, examins the platforms and agents through which they are promoted, and analyzes the objectives Azerbaijan seeks to achieve through them.

Targeting France’s Support for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians

Since 2020, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and propaganda machine have portrayed France as a biased actor in the South Caucasus, patronizing Armenia and undermining Azerbaijan’s sovereignty during and after the 2020 Karabakh War. They have alleged that Armenia has replaced Russia with France as its primary ally. They have also called France-Armenia partnership as a "French-Armenian tandem" accusing it in conspiring against France in international organizations, such as the UN Security Council, the EU and Franchophonie. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released numerous strongly worded statements reacting to any supportive action for Armenia and any criticism of Azerbaijan by France. Azerbaijani Mejlis (parliament) has fiercely reacted to the resolutions adopted by the French Senate and National Assembly supporting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Armenans. State sponsored non-governmental organizations have echoed the official statements of executive and legislative institutitons. For instance, they have accused French deputies of racism, Islamophobia, and Azerbaijanophobia and labeled French deputies as "modern crusaders."

Aliyev has targeted the President of France Emmanuel Macron personally in nearly every public address over the past two years with increasingly hostile rhetoric. He has accused him of adopting a pro-Armenian stance and undermining Azerbaijan’s regional influence."It seems Macron cannot live without Azerbaijan. He has some kind of obsession and wants to blame all his sins on us." Azerbaijani propaganda machine has also criticized other French politicians, such as the former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and other members of the Senate and National Assembly for their past visits to Nagorno-Karabakh and support to "separatists in Karabakh".

Once the defense cooperation started in February 2024, Aliyev escalated these accusations further, warning that Azerbaijan "cannot sit idly by while France, India, and Greece arm Armenia against us". The Azerbaijani propaganda machine echoed warning "that foreign powers and weapons won’t shield it from Azerbaijan’s ‘Iron Fist’.

In his December 2024 interview to the Russian state TV, Aliyev intensified his anti-Western rhetoric, with a focus on France, the EU and the outgoing U.S. administration, whom he framed as part of a broader Western alignment against Azerbaijan. Aliyev has accused France and India of fueling regional instability by openly supplying "lethal weapons" to Armenia, the U.S. doing it covertly and European Peace Facility also helping Armenia’s "military build-up". He further argued that support for Armenia’s defense sector was incompatible with ongoing peace negotiations, stating: "Both Armenia itself and its new patrons do not want peace. They are driven by ideas of revenge." Finally, in his January 2025 interview, Aliyev urged Armenia to return weapons that it has obtained, and urged countries supplying weapons to it to cancel their contracts, declaring, "This is our condition. Let them take it as they please."

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been echoing Azerbaijani narratives about France-Armenian partnership as part of its alignment with Azerbaijan against Armenia. In March 2024, its spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that France was trying to solidify its presence in Armenia to "spy on neighboring states and prevent peace agreements with Azerbaijan from being implemented." Moscow also suggested it would be "naive" to believe that Paris could ensure Armenia’s security. 

The Real Nature of France’s Support for Armenia and Role in the Southern Caucasus

Since Azerbaijan launched a full-scale war against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, France has aimed to support mediation efforts. Azerbaijan immediately violated the ceasefires negotiated by France and the U.S. in October 2020. Later Baku accepted a deal negotiated by Russia under highly unfavorable terms for Armenia, without consulting the U.S. and France. 

In the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the French National Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the independence of Artsakh (the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh). The French executive branch distanced itself from this resolution not willing to sabotage its role as a co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group, the formal mediation body for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Nevertheless, since 2021 Azerbaijan began sabotaging the Group’s mediation role as a whole, which led to the Russian monopolization of mediation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In December 2021, President Macron and the President of the EU Council Charles Michel facilitated an EU-facilitated alternative mediation format between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

In an October 2022 interview with France 2 TV station, President Macron criticized Azerbaijan for its military offensives against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, pledged that France would not abandon Armenia and pointed out that Russia is "destabilizing" and "seeking to create disorder" in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, he also referred to Nagorno-Karabakh as "a separatist enclave of Armenian people in Azerbaijan." The interview caused a mixed reaction amongst Armenians and dissatisfaction by Azerbaijan.

France has initiated two out of three UN SC emergency meetings concerning Azerbaijan’s blockade and military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022-2023, and voiced its support for human rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. As a regional initiative in August 2023, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo led a humanitarian convoy, carrying essential supplies to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, aiming to deliver aid to the Armenians in the enclave after months of blockade by Azerbaijan. However, the convoy was denied entry by Azerbaijani authorities, which was called as a "gross violation of human rights’ by Hidalgo. 

In October 2023, following Azerbaijan’s final military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Armenia and Azerbaijan and pledged to provide military equipment to Armenia given the country’s need for self-defense. Later in October, France announced its first sales of military equipment to Armenia. In response, Azerbaijan boycotted the meeting with Armenia facilitated by the EU, U.S., France and Germany on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Granada in October 2023, stating any format involving France was unacceptable due to its "pro-Armenian statements". 

In January 2024, the French Senate passed a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, leading to ethnic cleansing and destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. It also condemned the occupation of border areas of Armenia by Azerbaijan between 2021 and 2022. French commitment to supporting Armenia’s sovereignty was highlighted in President Macron’s New Year address to the French diplomatic corps and Armed Forces in January 2024. In the joint press conference with Pashinyan in Paris in February 2024, President Macron expressed solidarity with Armenia and urged Azerbaijan to "respect Armenia’s territorial integrity without any ambiguity" and demanded that the Azerbaijani forces return to their initial positions. He also called attention to the International Court of Justice’s orders for Azerbaijan to ensure the right of return for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

In February 2024, the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu visited Armenia. It was the first ever visit of a head of the French defense ministry to Armenia. He delivered military equipment and signed defense cooperation deals. These included providing armored vehicles, arms, munitions, and improving air-defense capabilities, as well as deployment of a French defense attache and advisers for mentoring, aimed to increase the cost for Azerbaijan to attack Armenia. Both Paris and Yerevan emphasized the defensive nature of these capabilities. 

Referring to France’s arms sales to Armenia in July 2024, President Macron stated that it is normal to respond to the request of a sovereign country that seeks to equip itself militarily for self-defense in the face of threats. He recalled that over the past decade, it was Azerbaijan that significantly outarmed Armenia and launched a war in 2020, and that he has never heard any project of war or aggression from Armenia’s Prime Minister Pashinyan. He added that "the perspective of Armenia is peace, the perspective of France is peace, I do hope the perspective of Azerbaijan is peace. And if the two countries finalize a peace treaty, we will back such a treaty." 

In an address to the French Parliament in October 2024, French Foreign Minister Barrot emphasized France's commitment to international law and justice, condemning violations by various parties, including Azerbaijan in Armenia, Russia in Ukraine, Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel, Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, Taliban in Afghanistan. Thus, France’s support for Armenia aligns with its broader strategy to promote stability in the South Caucasus by upholding Armenia’s right to self-defense and ensuring that any conflict resolution follows international law and human rights norms.

On 10 February 2025, during his meeting with Armenia’s PM Pashinyan in Paris, Macron reiterated France’s full support for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the signing of a peace treaty in accordance with international law. He also reaffirmed France’s determination to support Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, aspirations for peace, security, and democracy.

France’s support for Armenia extends far beyond Macron or his political camp-it represents a broad national consensus across the right, left, and center. Some French politicians have even advocated for stronger support of Armenia and tougher measures against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has only a handful of supporters in France, notably - Member of the European Parliament Thierry Mariani and Senator Nathalie Goulet.

The Manipulative Nature of Narratives on Armenia-France Cooperation

Despite military victories in Nagorno-Karabakh and border incursions into Armenia (2020-2023), Azerbaijan continues to militarize aggressively, expanding its military infrastructure and acquiring advanced weaponry from Israel, Turkey, Pakistan, Serbia and Italy, and has begun developing military industry projects with Slovakia. It also conducts numerous military exercises with Turkey and other partners. Its 2025 military budget is triple Armenia’s-a fact Aliyev himself has highlighted, boasting that Armenia cannot match Azerbaijan’s military capabilities even with Western support.

Armenia has clearly stated that its military rebuilding follows the UN Charter’s principle of self-defense of sovereign countries. Prime Minister Pashinyan has reaffirmed that Armenia has no plans to reclaim Nagorno-Karabakh or recover occupied border areas through military means, opting instead for peaceful border delimitation. However, Aliyev sees any support for Armenia’s defense capabilities as a threat, fearing it would reduce Azerbaijan’s military advantage and limit Baku’s ability to intimidate Armenia through force or threats or make new advances on Armenia’s territory.

Azerbaijan’s unprecedented demands to halt military contracts, return arms and and impose restrictions on Armenia’s defense show its fear that restoration of Armenia’s defense sector would reduce the military imbalance. Aliyev’s claim that supporting Armenia’s defense undermines peace contradicts the principle that a just, lasting peace is only viable when military capabilities between conflict parties are balanced.

While Baku criticizes Armenia’s cooperation with France, it simultaneously takes pride in its own strategic alliance with Turkey, rooted in the “one nation, two states” concept. Turkey played a direct and decisive role in Azerbaijan’s military victory during the 2020 Karabakh war by providing advanced military technology, training and strategic military advice. This reveals Azerbaijan’s attempt to monopolize the right to form international partnerships. To rationalize this position, both Azerbaijan and Turkey push for greater regionalization in the South Caucasus while seeking to exclude external actors.

Contrary to Azerbaijani and Russian claims, France is not seeking to make Armenia dependent on it but rather to help Armenia reduce its reliance on Russia and strengthen its sovereignty. As French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies noted, French-Armenian defense cooperation extends beyond military procurement to include training, particularly for senior officers.

Aliyev has historically framed Armenia as Russia’s proxy to secure Western support in Azerbaijan’s conflict. However, in recent statements, he has implied that Armenia’s shift toward the EU and NATO poses a "direct threat" to Azerbaijan-mirroring Russia’s rhetoric on Ukraine and underscoring Baku’s alignment with Moscow. Russia has not only withheld political and defense support amid Azerbaijani aggression but has also endorsed Baku’s narratives, including at the UN Security Council. Azerbaijan and Russia seek to block Armenia from strengthening its defense sector by opposing French, U.S., and EU support to keep Armenia dependent on Moscow.

Although the French government recognizes both Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Baku retaliates against France for highlighting Azerbaijan’s violations of international law, including military aggression, blockades, and ethnic cleansing. By attacking France-a NATO member, EU state, and permanent UN Security Council member-Azerbaijan not only challenges a key Western power but also undermines the credibility of the UN Security Council itself.

Platforms and Agents of the Manipulation of Anti-Colonial Narratives Against France

Azerbaijan held the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from 2019 and 2023. According to the Azerbaijani AIR Center, a government-sponsored think tank headed by former Azerbaijani career ambassador Farid Shafiyev, famous for his anti-Armenian and anti-French propaganda, NAM members blocked "an anti-Azerbaijan statement" at the UN Security Council in 2020 and 2022. The last year of Azerbaijan’s NAM tenure coincided with the last stage of its ethnic cleansing campaign against Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians that had started with the war in September-November 2020. The 2023 NAM Ministerial Meeting was convened in Baku in July when the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians had become total and starvation had started. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev delivered a welcome speech at the opening of the NAM Ministerial in which he used not only anti-Armenian but also more than 20 anti-French references. He notably accused Paris of "inflicting conflict" in the Caucasus and committing "most of the bloody crimes in the colonial history of humanity."

In the margins of the NAM Ministerial, AIR Center organized a roundtable titled "Towards the Complete Elimination of Colonialism" in the margins of the NAM Ministerial. The roundtable adopted a statement establishing the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), "to support combatting colonialism and neocolonialism." BIG’s slogan is "Union, Liberty and Independence", and its declared objective is "supporting the struggles for freedom and independence of those living under colonial and neocolonial rule, committing to solidarity and practical assistance." Aliyev expressed public appreciation of BIG’s work during the Media Forum held by Azerbaijan in Shushi in July 2024, which proves the state-sponsored nature of this organization.

Despite its broad name, it became a tool to sustain and develop Azerbaijan’s information warfare mainly against France, manipulating anti-colonial resentments of the representatives from French Overseas Territories, Mayotte and francophone Africa. It also supports independists of Corsica. BIG also frequently discusses the legacy of the French colonialism and allegations of "genocide" in Algeria. At times, it also targets other Western states or the European institutions, critical of Azerbaijan and supportive for Armenia. Since summer 2024, Baku extended its information warfare also to the "Dutch colonial rule", after the Parliament of the Netherlands adopted two resolutions urging Azerbaijan to preserve Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and release Armenian captives. Azerbaijan has not criticized the UK--with whom it has close partnership--for its colonial legacy and has ignored self-determination aspirations of Scotland and Northern Ireland. It also doesn’t mention overseas territories of the U.S., UK, Denmark or other territories and regions in Europe.

 Azerbaijani think tanks, experts, and media have echoed BIG’s narratives in a performative manner. During the protests in New Caledonia in 2024, Rusif Huseynov, the director of the government-sponsored Topchubashov Center, promised to provide regular updates on Azerbaijan’s "pivot" to the Pacific.

In October 2024, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia. The Resolution condemns Azerbaijan’s support for "irredentist groups and disinformation operations targeting France," and "regrets the smear campaign aimed at damaging France’s reputation." Azerbaijan’s parliament reacted to the resolution with a statement claiming that the resolution is "based on the false narratives of France, Armenia, and the Armenian lobby." It has also accused the EP of "chauvinistic, racist, and colonial thinking," and claimed that "by labelling the peoples fighting against colonialism as irredentist groups, European parliamentarians justify France’s colonial policies, framing them as part of European politics." 

Azerbaijan used its capacity of the host of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November 2024 to voice strong-worded anti-French narratives with an objective to turn the Global South against France. In its speech at the opening ceremony of COP29. President Aliyev used anti-European and anti-Western rhetoric, intensifying it further in his speech at the Leaders’ Summit of the Small Islands Developing States on Climate Change next day, accusing France in the "colonial rule" of its Overseas Territories in the Pacific, Corsica and Mayotte, committing crimes, "serious environmental degradation" in those territories, "damaging the ecosystem of the planet", and "the recent human rights violations" by the "regime of President Macron," referring to the management of riots in the New Caledonia. Aliyev also accused the European institutions in "not denouncing France" for its crimes out of "political hypocrisy" and "political corruption", and stated that "they share responsibility with the government of President Macron for the killings of innocent people." He also urged that "all political prisoners in France must be immediately liberated", mimicking the calls of reputable international players, including France to Azerbaijan to release its hundreds of political prisoners.

While President Macron had not planned to go to the summit in Baku, the French Minister for the Ecological Transition, Energy, the Climate and Risk Prevention Agnes Pannier-Runacher canceled its trip to Baku, calling Aliyev’s comments "unacceptable" and "unjustifiable". The representatives of the French companies followed the security advisory and did not go to the summit. Despite the diplomatic incident, France's negotiating team continued to participate in the conference, aiming to advance climate action agreements.

Later in his interviews, Aliyev claimed that France has aimed to limit Azerbaijan’s growing influence and diminish its international standing, including its efforts to sabotage Azerbaijan's successful hosting of COP29. He also claimed France had failed in New Caledonia, Mayotte, Corsica, African countries, and Lebanon, stating that events in these regions revealed the "disgusting face of French colonialism." 

Support for "Decolonization" in the French Overseas Territories, Mayotte and Corsica

In the beginning of its information warfare against France in 2023-2024, BIG started organizing conferences on "decolonization" of the French Overseas Territories at the UN headquarters in New York,  UN Office in Geneva, Istanbul and Baku with participation of pro-independence activists from New Caledonia, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. Official press releases about these events were circulated in the Azerbaijani media and social media with tags #decolonization, #politiquefrancaise, #politiquecolonialefrançaise and #frenchcolonialism. 

In December 2023, two journalists from the Azerbaijani state news agency AZERTAC were denied entry into New Caledonia to cover a rally during the visit of French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, allegedly "with an anti-France angle". AZERTAC denounced the denial as a restriction of freedom of speech and expression "about the struggle for freedom and independence intensifying in New Caledonia and other French colonies." At the rallies in New Caledonia, Azerbaijani flags were featured on the podium of the speakers in March. Protesters were also wearing t-shirts with anti-colonial slogans with the logo of Baku Initiative Group (BIG). BIG openly welcomed the protest movements in the French overseas territories but its Executive director Abbas Abbasov claimed that protesters are wearing their tea-shirts and logos upon their own initiative.

A fact-sheet from VIGINUM, a French service responsible for foreign digital interference and disinformation, reported a coordinated and widespread disinformation campaign by Azerbaijan concerning the situation in New Caledonia. In April 2024, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin condemned "extremely harmful interference" at the Law Committee of the National Assembly. In a TV interview, he stated that "it’s a fact and not a fantasy", that some of the pro-independence leaders in the territory have ties with Azerbaijan. However, a December 2024 report by Viginum about the BIG’s anti-French digital disinformation campaign concluded that despite its efforts, the campaign failed to gain the intended visibility and influence within the targeted population groups. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry rejected accusations of Azerbaijani interference as "defamation" and claimed that France’s "failed policy" towards the overseas territories has led to protests. 

In May 2024, a state of emergency in New Caledonia was declared due to the severity of riots, casualties and looting and in line with the French constitution. France sent reinforcements for the local police and gendarmerie. The Azerbaijani propaganda machine accused France of declaring a state of emergency, "deploying the army" and "suppressing New Caledonia’s longstanding quest for independence and self-sufficiency."

In January 2025, BIG supported the formation of "Congress of the International Front for Decolonization" in Kanaky, bringing together the pro-independence movements of the French Overseas Territories and featuring Azerbaijan’s flag. French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, Foreign Barrot and many lawmakers condemned Azerbaijan’s interference in France’s internal affairs. Abbasov argued that decolonization, historical justice, and human rights transcend national borders, and that "the right of these territories must be recognized immediately…" He claimed that the congress was a legitimate initiative aimed at advancing decolonization efforts globally. He urged international organizations to support BIG’s mission and called on France to abandon its accusations and engage in cooperation. He also hailed the raising of the Azerbaijani flag in Kanaky as a gesture of gratitude from the Kanak people to Azerbaijan’s leadership.

Azerbaijan’s interference extends beyond New Caledonia to other French overseas territories. Local parliament members from the Antilles and Guyana have visited Baku at the invitation of BIG. In May 2024, the Polynesian independence movement, Tavini Huiraatira, visited Baku and signed a memorandum with Azerbaijan’s parliament in the margins of the conference titled "Right of the French Polynesia for Decolonization". The parties discussed joint media projects and "capacity-building" activities at Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency. Radical Azerbaijani MP Tural Ganjali, known for his promotion and glorification of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, tweeted that Maohi Nui (the indigenous name for French Polynesia), like all indigenous peoples, has the right to determine its own future and "not be dependent on some capital which is 16,000 kilometers away". In January 2025, BIG hosted a conference in Baku on "The Independence of La Réunion: Reassessing France's Colonial Legacy and the Path to Sovereignty." 

Nicolas Metzdorf, a deputy of the National Assembly from New Caledonia, will present a draft resolution to the Commission of European Affairs of the French National Assembly on 12 February 2025, calling on the European Parliament to condemn Azerbaijan’s and the Baku Initiative Group’s foreign interference in New Caledonia and the French Overseas Territories.

Mayotte has become another a prime target for Azerbaijan’s anti-French propaganda. In September 2024, BIG held a separate conference on Mayotte’s decolonization, with active participation of representatives from the Comoros. After 3 referendums chosing to stay as an overseas territory of France, in 2009 Mayotte’s population voted in favor of greater integration with France, moving towards becoming a "department" of France rather than to maintain the status of a French collectivity or potentially seek association with the Comoros. Azerbaijan supports the Comoros’ claim of sovereignty over Mayotte, considering that Mayotte should have joined the rest of the archipelago in forming the independent state of Comoros, based on the principle of territorial unity. Instead of expressing condolences for the devastating flood in Mayotte in December 2024, Azerbaijan's propaganda machine focused on the incident where President Macron was confronted by frustrated locals and speculated that France was responsible for the situation. The local frustration in Mayotte over the government's response to Cyclone Chido, despite substantial French assistance, parallels the public outcry in Spain (October 2024) and the U.S. (August 2024), where the governments' efforts to manage the floods and wildfires were heavily criticized, yet Azerbaijani propagandists did not react to or exploit these situations in the same way.

Retaliation and Ensuring Impunity or Undermining France and Extending Influence?

Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev is also using any interview, speech and meeting for repeating n narratives about the "French conolialism". He has accused France of political hypocrisy, claiming that while France "violently suppresses" self-determination movements in its overseas territories and Corsica, it simultaneously supports the "self-determination" of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and backs "separatist and terrorist Armenians in Azerbaijan." While framing such activities as retaliation against France, Azerbaijani propagandists point to the visits of French lawmakers to Nagorno-Karabakh before the 2020 Karabakh war and the 2020 and 2024 resolutions of the French National Assembly and Senate supporting Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians after the war. Aliyev has even mockingly suggested that Karabakh Armenians establish their republic in Marseille, where many Armenians reside. Despite these accusations, at the Shushi Media Forum in July 2024, Aliyev denied that Azerbaijan's engagement with anti-colonial movements in the French Territories was retaliatory for France’s support of Armenia. Instead, he attempted to frame it as a genuine effort to liberate small island populations from French control.

However, Azerbaijan has abolished Nagorno-Karabakh’s autonomy at the outset of the conflict in 1988, refused the results of their referendum opted for independence, refused from any resolution of the conflict and launched several wars against its indigenous Armenian people. After the 2020 Karabakh war, Baku refused to grant any degree of self-governance to them, imposed a blockade leading to starvation, and launched a military offensive that led to their ethnic cleansing. In contrast, New Caledonia and Corsica have varying degrees of autonomy and self-governance, and France has adjusted its policies to address concerns in these entities by considering higher degrees of autonomy, such as in Corsica, and authorized independence referendums leading to the vote for staying under the jurisdiction of France in New Caledonia and a closer association with France in Mayotte. 

Azerbaijan’s claims to justify Baku’s involvement in anti-French independence movements as a genuine effort to liberate people from French control is unconvincing. In the reality, Azerbaijan’s engagement with anti-colonial movements in French Overseas Territories is a clear example of its manipulative hybrid warfare, aimed at undermining France and expanding Azerbaijan’s influence.

Manipulation of "Neocolonialist" Narratives in Sub-Sahara Africa

Azerbaijan’s agents for information warfare against France gradually started expanding anti-colonial narratives to the African countries that have been French colonies in the past. In its January 2024 statement, "Western Azerbaijan" organization uged the French Senate to answer questions about "what the French army is doing in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso." On 3 October 2024, BIG organized the "International Conference on the Neo-Colonialist Policy of France in Africa" in Baku, which was its first event focused on Africa. According to BIG, political figures, diplomats, experts, journalists and civil society representatives from 11 African countries, as well as Mayotte, took part in the event. Despite the apparent attendance of no more than 20 participants, the Azerbaijani propaganda machine and international lobbyists have tried to brand it as a conference that "raises the bar for dialogue on French neocolonialism in Africa."

During the conference Vasif Huseynov, a geopolitical expert from the government-sponsored AIR Center, quoted the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: "Sovereignty is not given; it is taken," claiming that these words resonate deeply today, especially in Africa, thus promoting Atatürk as a role model for African "non-interference" and "liberation.

This conference was held in Baku during the same week as the 19th Summit of the Organisation internationale of la Francophonie (OIF) on 4-5 October. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie adopted a "Resolution on crisis situations in the Francophone space, overcoming them and strengthening of peace," condemning Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and expressing support for Armenia’s independence and sovereignty. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry promptly denounced the resolution, and BIG echoed it. They questioned OIF’s credibility, suggesting France uses it as a political tool to pressure other nations, and recommended it "focus on the crimes committed by the French Government in the Overseas Territories under French domination."

When Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev received the ambassador of Burkina-Faso for the handover of his credentials on August 5, 2024, he dedicated a significant part of the meeting to voicing anti-French sentiments. He asserted that "France had shown its true colors and acted unfairly against Azerbaijan at the UN and the EU following Azerbaijan’s liberation of its lands." He also stated that Azerbaijan has "raised its voice against… colonial policies of France" and "called for independence and freedom for peoples subjected to colonial oppression by France".

In his COP29 speech and recent interviews, Aliyev accused France of outdated neocolonial policies that had resulted in failures across the continent. He pointed to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where French troops had been "expelled", as evidence of France’s diminishing influence. He attributed these failures to France’s refusal to acknowledge the independence and agency of African nations, contrasting it with the increasing presence of countries like Russia and China. Aliyev condemned France's colonial history, stating that events in these regions revealed the "disgusting face of French colonialism."

Commonality of Azerbaijani and Russian Anti-France Narratives

Azerbaijan claims to support anti-colonial movements in Africa that resist "external interference," which it associates with France’s "neo-colonial practices". Such narratives resonate with African sentiments regarding the lasting impact of France’s colonial legacy in Africa. It implies that while former French colonies have gained formal independence, France continues to politically interfere in those countries or subject them to colonial economic exploitation. Baku encourages African nations to assertively claim their independence and sovereignty from France. Its propaganda tool BIG refers to Azerbaijan’s notion of sovereignty and non-interference in its domestic affairs as a role model.

Azerbaijan’s narratives on French influence in Africa resemble those employed by Russia, China and Turkey regarding Western dominance over developing countries. These narratives argue that the West-along with multilateral organizations like the EU and the UN-imposes human rights and democracy-related preconditions for providing security or economic assistance to Africa. Some circles in African countries perceive this as interference in their internal affairs and sovereignty, designed to maintain their dependence.

In contrast, Russia, China, and Turkey claim that they assist developing countries in Africa without such preconditions. This includes economic assistance by China and Turkey, and Russian Wagner’s purported security services in Africa. Russia has claimed that France maintained its presence in Africa to exploit natural resources : the Russian disinformation campaign played a significant role in stirring up anti-French public opinion in the region, especially in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. In March 2024, the spokesperson of the Russian MFA Maria Zakharova stated that France has failed its peacekeeping role in African countries and is compensating for it in the South Caucasus for "its failures in Africa, guided by geopolitical ambitions. Aliyev echoed that narrative in his interview to the Russian TV in December 2024.

Along with aiming to undermine France’s global influence, Azerbaijan is working to increase its influence in Africa and secure the votes of African nations, which hold significant representation in UN bodies. Azerbaijan presents itself as a champion against "Western colonialism and neo-colonialism" and a "defender of historical justice, equality and respect for sovereignty"--a disingenuous position given its elimination of Nagorno-Karabakh’s efforts towards self-determination, which bears parallels to decolonization struggles. 

Other Narratives

Aliyev has sought to position himself as a defender of traditional values and sovereignty, using ideological rhetoric and geopolitical opportunism to attack Western liberalism-particularly France. In his December 2024 interview to the Russian state TV, he accused Macron of "meddling" in Georgia as part of the destabilizing Western global influence and liberal democratic values. Framing himself and Georgian authorities as defenders of sovereignty and cultural heritage, he praised the U.S. President Donald Trump for his commitment to traditional family and moral values, claiming they align with Azerbaijani and Georgian principles-in contrast to the values promoted by Macron. Thus, he seeks to opportunistically manipulate transatlantic tensions, in particular - between the United States and France.

Along the same lines, Aliyev characterized France’s hosting of the Olympic Games as a "disgrace", accusing France of disrespect for traditional values as part of his effort to portray France as a country in decline. He claimed that Pope Francis deliberately avoided attending the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame and instead visited Corsica.

Finally, reflecting on the shifting global order, Aliyev emphasized instability and the growing importance of military power in shaping international dynamics. While boasting about Azerbaijan’s military strength, positioning it as a rising power in a fragmented world order and warning about the consequences for those who challenge its expanding influence.

Conclusions

Azerbaijan’s strategy aims to shield itself from accountability for its blockade, military offensives, large-scale war, and the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as its military offensives against Armenia and occupation of more than 200 sq kilometers of its border areas. Baku seeks to deter international support for Armenia in order to see a diplomatically isolated and unsupported Armenia, unable to defend its borders. It is also aiming to justify its never ending preconditions and expansinist demands obstructing peace agreement with Armenia, normalize violation of Armenia’s territorial integrity and legitimize potential future military offensives against it, or at least - impose its regional hegemony.

Baku is leveraging its recent four-year chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and hosting capacity of the COP29 to build alliances in the Global South. Baku is trying to increase its influence in Africa and secure votes and alliances with African nations that have significant representation in UN bodies. This strategy also aims to counterbalance Azerbaijan’s non-participation in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

Finally, Azerbaijan is becoming increasingly ambitious, aiming to position itself as a middle-power state and independent regional and global player that can challenge France, a NATO, EU and UN SC member. Similar to Russia, Turkey and other illiberal autocratic regimes, it selectively invokes principles of sovereignty and non-interference and contests the international law, multilateral institutions, mediation mechanisms and the rules-based global order to avoid international scrutiny while pursuing its geopolitical ambitions.

Copyright image : Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / POOL / AFP
Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev in Astana, July 3, 2024.