Valérie Pécresse denounces “threats” from the Azerbaijani president after his trip to Armenia in December

“These threats do not intimidate me and I would have liked a solemn response from the French government to this threat from a foreign head of state on a French presidential candidate.” Valérie Pécresse denounced, Friday, January 14, “threat” of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev after his trip to Armenia in December 2021 and their “gravity (…) on a presidential candidate who would not be free to go where she wants”. His lawyer, Thibault de Montbrial, announced to AFP the intention of Valérie de Pécresse to file a complaint on Saturday in Paris for “death threats”.

The candidate Les Républicains went to Armenia before Christmas for a visit intended to illustrate her support for the Christians of the East. In an interview with local media on Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev criticized Valérie Pécresse and Michel Barnier (also present) for having surrendered “secretly” on this occasion in the separatist region of Nagorny-Karabakh, at the center of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan which has left more than 6,500 dead.

“In case of illegal visits (to Karabakh) we officially express our dissatisfaction with the Russian side”, which is responsible for peacekeeping operations in the region. “We were told ‘we didn’t see anything, we didn’t know, we didn’t pay attention’. But we cannot believe (this version of events). (…) In this case, it was an organized visit”, did he declare.

“If we had known they were there, obviously we wouldn’t have let them come back (to Armenia). The Lachin corridor (road connecting Armenia and Karabakh) is under our control. We can stop any car there and no one can tell us”, added the Head of State.