The network of Azerbaijani lobbyists in France is both fueled by the efforts of Azerbaijani diplomacy, and self-sustaining. It is thus highly likely that Laurent Poultier du Mesnil has attracted others to the Azerbaijani embassy.
Laurent Poultier du Mesnil is a far-right personality. He has worked for the Union pour le Renouveau de Versailles (Union for the Renewal of Versailles), led by politician Henry de Lesquen, former president of Radio Courtoisie... where Poultier du Mesnil works.
Laurent Poultier du Mesnil may well have attracted other like-minded personalities to the Azerbaijani embassy. Pierre Daprile and Jordan Cruciani were recently spotted at the Azerbaijani embassy. They were there on December 6, 2023 for the commemoration of Heydar Aliyev's 100th birthday, and on January 30, 2024 for the commemoration of January 20, 1990, organized each year by the diplomat of the Azerbaijani dictatorship.
Pierre Daprile is a student and General Secretary of the Friends of Napoléon III. Jordan Grosse-Cruciani is a town councillor in Charmes, and also Deputy Secretary General of the Friends of Napoleon III.
Both are close to the far-right Appel au Peuple party, founded in 2021, of Bonapartist leanings. Jordan Grosse-Cruciani is listed on the party's website as an elected member directly linked to Appel au peuple.
On April 19, 2024, Laurent Poultier organized the “Gala et Bal des Deux Empires”, via the Cercle de France, of which he is president. The event was attended by Appel au Peuple candidate Joachim Murat and Jordan Grosse-Cruciani.
The work of Azerbaijan's lobbyists, and in particular those like Laurent Poultier du Mesnil, is therefore not just about answering interviews and making speeches, but also about recruiting Laurent Poultier du Mesnil, who is close to far-right circles, is therefore recruiting from that side. Jordan Grosse-Cruciani and Pierre Daprile, twice present at the Azerbaijan embassy in the space of a few months, don't seem to offer any resistance.
This is an important issue, as Jordan Grosse-Cruciani is a municipal councillor. In this respect, the presence of Reconquête mayor Loup Bommier at the Azerbaijan embassy during a debate organized by the Association des Amis de l'Azerbaïdjan on November 15, 2023 is noteworthy.
