By John Irish
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - France on Wednesday welcomed Azerbaijan's pardon of French citizen Martin Ryan as a humanitarian gesture that would pave the way for improved relations, just hours after the European Union lifted sanctions on two Russian oligarchs.
France shocked other EU members when it pushed for Russian-Uzbek metals tycoon Alisher Usmanov to be removed from EU sanctions, citing national security concerns. Diplomats said France's request was linked to the release of French nationals held in Azerbaijan.
Ryan's pardon was the result of "a patient and rigorous dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities, a dialogue we intend to continue and which marks a step toward the normalisation of our relations," foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement.
Ryan, one of two French nationals held in Azerbaijan, was sentenced by Baku for espionage. Diplomatic sources said he was on his way back to Paris on Wednesday morning after the head of France's external intelligence agency had travelled to Azerbaijan to bring him back.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met his Azeri counterpart in New York on Wednesday, sources aware of the matter said.
It was unclear whether the second French national, a businessman sentenced to 12 years for bribery, would also be released at a later stage.
The EU on Tuesday lifted sanctions on Usmanov and a second Russian oligarch after a week of wrangling.
French officials on Wednesday sought to minimise the effects of the decision, while conceding that it may have created an awkward precedent.
Ties 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 last year, and said Baku has been seeking to fan the flames of riots and independence demands in France's Pacific island of New Caledonia.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Rosalba O'Brien)
