Azerbaijan Threatens France With Diplomatic Rift Over Visit Of Breakaway Region Leader

Azerbaijan has threatened to "review" its diplomatic ties with France after a visit to Paris by the president of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh republic.

BAKU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) Azerbaijan has threatened to "review" its diplomatic ties with France after a visit to Paris by the president of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh republic.

Bako Sahakyan, who leads the Armenian-majority territory, is reported by Armenian media to be in France. Azerbaijan does not recognize its independence.

"Azerbaijan will use diplomatic channels to express to France its decisive protest. This continuous double-standard approach forces Azerbaijan to review its relations with France," the Azeri Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. It lost control over the mountainous region after an armed conflict.

A ceasefire was agreed in 1994 but both sides have accused each other of violating it, most notably in 2016 when hundreds of civilians and soldiers were killed in clashes.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has been trying to find a way out of the crisis for the past 26 years. Its monitoring group is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States.