Azerbaijan, France
Paris and Baku negotiating releases despite public tensions

Published on 03.02.2025 at 05:00 GMT Reading time 3 min

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Bulboaca (Moldova), 1 June 2023. © Ludovic Marin/AFP

Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Baku and Paris, behind the scenes negotiations are underway to secure the release of a French national held by Azerbaijan. According to Intelligence Online sources, Azerbaijan wants France to return an opposition figure and an alleged former intelligence collaborator who has requested asylum.

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