Macron considered sanctions against Azerbaijan counterproductive

The introduction of sanctions against Azerbaijan due to the situation in Karabakh now makes no sense, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a summit in Granada, Spain, BFMTV reports.

“Now is not the time for sanctions. They would be counterproductive,” Macron answered the corresponding question.

On September 19–20, Azerbaijan carried out an “anti-terrorist” operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of which the authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) agreed to disarmament, the dissolution of the army, and later announced the cessation of the existence of the unrecognized state from January 1, 2024.

After the capitulation of the NKR authorities, the Armenian population began to leave Karabakh. Over 100 thousand people left the territory of the enclave and went to Armenia (in total, about 120 thousand people lived in the region, the NKR authorities stated).

On October 5, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Azerbaijan for the “violent seizure” of Nagorno-Karabakh, and also called on the EU to impose sanctions and reconsider relations with Baku. The European Parliament considered Baku’s actions in Karabakh a violation of international law and human rights.