Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday the expulsion of two French diplomats due to activities "inconsistent with their diplomatic status" in the context of growing tensions between the two nations over France's support for Armenia.
According to a statement from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ambassador Anne Boillon was summoned to receive a "strong protest" over the actions of two employees of the French Embassy that were deemed inconsistent with their diplomatic status.
The statement further stated that these two diplomats must leave Azerbaijan within 48 hours.
In November last year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused France of inciting conflicts in the Caucasus by arming Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have engaged in two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have stated that a comprehensive peace agreement may be possible by the end of the year, but the negotiations, mediated by international parties, have not made significant progress.
President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have met on several occasions for talks facilitated by the European Union.
However, in October, Aliyev refused to attend negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain due to what he described as France's biased stance.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were supposed to mediate the talks alongside European Council President Charles Michel.
Azerbaijan has routinely accused France, which is home to a large Armenian diaspora, of favoring Armenia in the regional conflict between the South Caucasus nations.
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