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Azerbaijan’s ambassador to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, has called on Paris authorities to cancel an exhibition supporting former leaders of the Armenian separatist administration in Karabakh and other individuals prosecuted in Azerbaijan.
The exhibition is scheduled for Sept. 2 outside Paris City Hall. It was organized by the city administration and the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, or CCAF.
Its organizers describe the featured individuals as “Armenian prisoners detained by Azerbaijan.”
Abdullayeva sent a formal protest letter to Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire and published the document on X.
The ambassador argued that the exhibition promotes a one-sided interpretation of the conflict and contradicts the emerging peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
She noted that Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, including by France and Armenia.
Abdullayeva also pointed to the peace agreement initialed by Baku and Yerevan at the August 2025 Washington summit and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s later statement that peace between the two countries had become “visible and tangible.”
“In this new context, the embassy views with particular concern any initiative likely to present a unilateral and confrontational interpretation of the past,” the letter said.
Abdullayeva said the individuals featured in the exhibition had faced accusations in Azerbaijan involving crimes against humanity, war crimes, terrorism and an attempted seizure of power.
She specifically mentioned Ruben Vardanyan, a former senior official in the unrecognized separatist administration in Karabakh. The ambassador argued that France’s support for Ukraine was inconsistent with calls for Vardanyan’s release, citing allegations published by Ukraine’s Myrotvorets database linking him to financing Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Abdullayeva urged Paris authorities to reconsider their decision and suspend the exhibition, warning that such initiatives could revive conflicting narratives at a time when Baku and Yerevan are pursuing normalization.
A l’attention de la Mairie de Paris @egregoire:
Les personnes condamnées par le tribunal militaire de Bakou, y compris les anciens responsables du régime fantoche dans la région de Karabakh de l’Azerbaïdjan ont été déclaré coupable de crimes de guerre &de crimes contre l’humanité pic.twitter.com/GeD7FjHTir— Leyla Abdullayeva (@LAbdullayevaMFA) September 1, 2026
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