French lawmakers expressed deep concern over a “black list” recently published by Azerbaijani government, Nouvelles d`Arménie writes.

Last week the Azerbaijani MFA issued the list of those individuals that are declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh. The 335-member list includes 22 French, among them are MPs, members of the European Parliament and observers.

Representative of friendship group between France and Nagorno-Karabakh Francois Rochbloine labeled the move as “dangerous and unprecedented manoeuvre contradicting the principles of OSCE.”

In an interview with French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, Rochebloine said no one was interested in Azerbaijan in the past.

“Today, some lawmakers are going there to give it a different image. Azerbaijan is trying to present itself as a virgin place, but this is only a smokescreen. This is a criminal state,”he said.

MP Valerie Boyer shares his opinion, noting that the new image of Azerbaijan is created by means of petrodollars.

Members of the friendship group urge French government and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to interfere and call on his Azerbaijani counterpart to delete the list and convey formal apology.