In the recent interview Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron intervened in Georgian domestic affairs.

“In Georgia, I see that the situation is stabilizing. And we are happy about this. Georgia is an important partner and a close friend for us. For centuries, our nations have lived in peace and harmony. Therefore, destabilization, or the threat of destabilization, in Georgia, as harmful as it is for Georgia, is also harmful for Azerbaijan. Therefore, for our part, we strive for, and are doing everything to ensure, that the situation in Georgia aligns with the political direction, is stable, and that Georgia develops successfully.

Again, returning to external influence, it turns out that there are thousands of non-governmental organizations operating in Georgia that receive funding from the West. And the people working in these organizations or receiving salaries are probably tens of thousands, if not more. And we know what this means.

Because there was a period here in our country when grant-eaters and grant-givers felt perfectly at ease, but we stopped that. Therefore, any grant issued by any structure, be it Azerbaijani or foreign, must be registered and relevant authorities must decide whether to allow it or not.

… And again, as you can see, Macron’s ears are sticking out again. This man just can’t sit still in his own country. He must get into Georgia too. What did we see at that ceremony in Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral? Pope Francis ignored the ceremony, he didn’t forgive Macron for this Olympic disgrace, of course.

So, going back to the question about Georgia, it is much broader than it seems. I think this is why those who are usually allowed to go ahead so that they, I mean countries, can articulate sanctions and so on. Because this, if I may say so by analogy, is a battle for the Caucasus… Therefore, Georgia is an important factor in the battle for the Caucasus. What will it be like? Will it be traditional based on our Caucasian values?”, - said Ilham Aliyev.