France was excluded from the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's Presidential Representative for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov told L’Opinion, Paralel.Az reports.

Commenting on the arrest of a French citizen, Martin Ryan, Amirbayov condemned the biased pro-Armenian position of France, including the French side’s continued supply of weapons and equipment to Yerevan, as well as its active attempts to promote a draft anti-Azerbaijani resolution in the UN Security Council.

"France is now removed from its role as a mediator [between Azerbaijan and Armenia] and is even harming the EU's role in this matter," he said.

Azerbaijani authorities arrested Martin Ryan on espionage charges on December 4, 2023. Being the CEO of the Baku-based company Merkorama LLC, Ryan was manipulated by the French agent of the 2nd DGSE (General Directorate for External Security), who engaged him in secret cooperation and was subsequently expelled from Baku.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva said that judicial authorities ordered his detention for a period of four months, adding that the French Embassy in Baku was immediately notified of the arrest.

Measures carried out by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan in early December 2023 resulted in the exposure of an extensive network of agents of French intelligence services in the country.

Dozens of French spies were identified in a short period, some of whom had been operating in Azerbaijan at one point or another, and some of whom continued to work undercover in various countries and reputable international organizations.