Politics · Singapore Bureau
Azerbaijan frees French spy after EU lifts Usmanov sanctions
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has pardoned a French national convicted of espionage, in a move that follows the European Union's decision to remove sanctions against Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Diplomats suggest Baku applied pressure on the bloc to lift the restrictions.
LSN Singapore ·
Baku announced on Wednesday that President Aliyev had granted a pardon to the French citizen, who had been imprisoned on espionage charges. The timing of the release comes one day after the EU removed sanctions from Usmanov, a Russian oligarch with significant business interests in Azerbaijan.
EU officials acknowledged that Azerbaijan had exerted diplomatic pressure regarding the sanctions decision. The interconnected nature of the two announcements raised questions about potential linkage between the pardon and the sanctions lift, though neither Azerbaijani nor EU officials explicitly confirmed a direct quid pro quo arrangement.
Aliyev's administration has increasingly sought to leverage its geopolitical position, particularly given Azerbaijan's energy resources and strategic location between Russia and the West. The episode underscores the complex diplomatic dynamics at play in the region, where economic interests and political negotiations frequently intersect.
The identity of the pardoned French national and specific details of the espionage charges were not immediately disclosed. The pardon represents one of several high-profile gestures from Baku in recent months aimed at reshaping its international relationships.