Propaganda at the Museum: how Azerbaijan whitewashed its crimes at the Quai Branly
On December 10, 2024, the Musée du Quai Branly hosted a conference on "cultural diplomacy," organized by La Fabrique, an association of the Master's 2 Cultural Heritage Law program at the University of Paris-Saclay (Paris XI). The two speakers were Elita Sultanaliyeva, assistant to the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan in France, and Nigar Huseynova, advisor at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France. As expected, this was a dream propaganda moment for the Azerbaijani dictatorship, in one of Paris's most prestigious museums.
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Dancing with dictatorship: Michel Odin and his troubled links with Azerbaijan
Since May 2023, a number of personalities from the world of classical dance in France have been approaching the Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in France, notably Michel Odin, director of the magazine “Danser”. He was involved in the cultural cooperation project with the Baku ballet, and was present at the Azerbaijani embassy in May 2023, along with Ilham Aliyev's representatives and the mayor of Gugy-le-Château, Loup Bommier (featured in this publication). Since then, the collaboration between these players has taken on many different forms.
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Loup Bommier: departmental referent for the Union des Droites and lobbyist for Azerbaijan
Since May 2023, Loup Bommier has been working closely with the Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in France. However, in the landscape of influence, the controversial mayor of Gurgy-le-Château is not just anyone. Portrait.
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When the Salle Cortot saw fit to host 'Victory Day', organized by Azerbaijan
On November 2, 2024, the Azerbaijani Embassy in France organized “Victory Day” at the Salle Cortot in Paris. For the representatives of Aliyev's dictatorship in France, this event was intended to celebrate Azerbaijan's military victory in November 2020, and the “liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh”, i.e. the ethnic cleansing of the region of its thousand-year-old Armenian population (which took place in September 2023 following a 9-month blockade).
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ILERI: a masterclass at the Azerbaijani Embassy
On October 17, 2024, the Azerbaijan Cultural Center hosted a Master 1 class from the Paris School of International Relations and Political Science (ILERI). It was the perfect opportunity for Azerbaijan's ambassador to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, to present her country in the best possible light. However, it is reasonable to assume that she failed to mention the imprisonment and murder of political opponents of the regime she represents, as well as the war crimes and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the latter against the Armenians.
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Jean-Pierre Guinhut: a former ambassador who never really left Azerbaijan and its dictatorship
Jean-Pierre Guinhut is a former French diplomat. More specifically, he was French ambassador to Azerbaijan between 1997 and 2001. He succeeded Jean Perrin in this post (1992-1996). Like his predecessor, Jean-Pierre Guinhut cultivated a genuine fascination for Azerbaijan which, on his return to France, led him to join a central structure of the dictatorship's lobby.
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Ayten Mirzoyeva: the businesswoman who seeks to clear Aliyev's name at UNESCO and in the film world
In October 2024, Ayten Mirzoyeva succeeded in organizing the 2024 Conference of an organization of film producers whose governing board she had recently joined, “Producers Without Borders”, at the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in France. The event, sponsored by several major companies, was yet another opportunity for Ilham Aliyev's representatives to whitewash the regime through culture, and spread his propaganda through it. But who is Ayten Mirzoyeva?
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Master Chef ex-candidate and TV presenter at the Azerbaijani Embassy: influence through gastronomy
Why did Karine Lemarchand and Cyril Rouquet-Prévost visit the Azerbaijani embassy in October 2024 to promote a book? In this brief article, we discuss the implications of their presence among representatives of Aliyev's dictatorship.
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Rachida Dati: chronological reminder of the links maintained with the representatives of Azerbaijan in France
Rachida Dati, former Minister of Justice (2007-2009), Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris since 2008 and Minister of Culture since January 11, 2024, is a close friend of Azerbaijan's representatives in France. We already mentioned her in our publications dedicated to Olivier Pardo and Adela Naibova.
It's time for a chronological review of the links between Aliyev's dictatorship and this minister, who has been under investigation since 2021 for “passive corruption” and “influence peddling”.
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Against Azerbaijan's manipulation of New Caledonia's independence struggle
Thank you to Actu.nc for publishing our article in issue no. 524 of their weekly, “Against Azerbaijan's manipulation of New Caledonia's independence struggle”!
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