France Welcomes Azerbaijan's Pardon of Martin Ryan as Step to Better Ties

France has welcomed Azerbaijan's decision to pardon French citizen Martin Ryan, describing it as a humanitarian gesture that could open the door to improved relations between the two countries.

A French foreign ministry spokesperson said the pardon followed "a patient and rigorous dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities," adding that Paris intended to continue the engagement and viewed it as a step toward normalising ties.

Ryan, one of two French nationals held in Azerbaijan, had been sentenced by Baku on espionage charges. Diplomatic sources said he was on his way back to Paris on Wednesday morning, after the head of France's external intelligence agency travelled to Azerbaijan to bring him home.

The release came just hours after the European Union lifted sanctions on two Russian oligarchs. France had shocked other EU members by pushing for Russian-Uzbek metals tycoon Alisher Usmanov to be removed from the sanctions list, citing national security concerns. Diplomats linked France's request to the release of French nationals held in Azerbaijan.

French officials sought to play down the effects of the EU decision on Wednesday, while acknowledging it may have set an awkward precedent.

It remained unclear whether the second French national — a businessman sentenced to 12 years for bribery — would also be released at a later stage.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met his Azerbaijani counterpart in New York on Wednesday, according to sources aware of the matter.

Relations between Azerbaijan and France have long been strained and worsened in 2023, when Azerbaijan regained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a move that triggered an exodus of 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Baku reacted angrily to subsequent French military support for Armenia, with which Azerbaijan has fought two wars in the past three decades.

France has accused Azerbaijan-linked groups of carrying out disinformation campaigns over the past year, and said Baku has been seeking to fan the flames of riots and independence demands in France's Pacific island of New Caledonia.