Azerbaijan rejects reports it pressured France over billionaire's EU sanctions

A senior Azerbaijani diplomat on Friday rejected allegations ​that Baku had pressured France to lobby ​for the removal of Russian-Uzbek ‌billionaire Alisher Usmanov ​from the European Union's sanctions list, calling the claims "categorically unfounded". Reuters reported on Wednesday that Paris had been urging EU partners to lift ‌sanctions on Usmanov, a move that diplomats said was linked to Azerbaijan and the detention of French nationals in the South Caucasus country.

In a statement to Reuters, the diplomat said Baku had openly supported ‌Usmanov's removal from Western sanctions lists but denied any attempt to influence Western decision-making. "Azerbaijan has ‌never interfered or been involved in sanction processes within the United States or the European Union," the diplomat said, declining to be identified.

"Claims about Azerbaijan mentioned in some media outlets are categorically unfounded and we totally reject such allegations." He ⁠said ​the reports were intended ⁠to justify actions by certain countries pursuing their own interests through what he described as "deceptive manipulations" involving Azerbaijan.

The diplomat said ⁠Baku, together with other members of the Organisation of Turkic States, had written several times to U.S. and European ​leaders in support of Usmanov between November 2023 and March 2025, describing him as "a ⁠renowned philanthropist and public figure" who had helped build ties between the West, Central Asia and the wider Turkic world. France's foreign ⁠ministry ​spokesperson Pascal Confavreux declined to comment directly on Azerbaijan's role when questioned at a weekly news briefing on Thursday.

"This is a matter of national security. I am not going to ⁠be much more specific," he said. European diplomats told Reuters that Paris had indicated privately that Baku was ⁠using the Usmanov case ⁠as leverage in discussions over two French citizens held in Azerbaijan, one of whom Paris has said is being held arbitrarily. Azerbaijan has sentenced the ‌French national ‌on espionage charges.