OFFICIAL NEWS
PRESIDENTS ILHAM ALIYEV AND JACQUES CHIRAC MEET IN PRIVATE
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Jacques Chirac of France had a one-on-one meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on January 29.
President Chirac said he was pleased with the Azerbaijan President’s state visit to France. “Cooperation between Azerbaijan and France has been significantly enhanced, and the Year of Azerbaijan is going to be held in France this year,” he pointed out.
The French leader described existing relationship between the two countries as very important and fruitful.
President Ilham Aliyev said it was his honor to pay a state visit to France, and reminded that the country was the first one he paid an official visit to after the presidential elections.
The two leaders exchanged views on energy projects, situation in the South Caucasus and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
President Ilham Aliyev emphasized the significance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects, and reminded of the memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union signed during his visit to Brussels in November 2006. “Azerbaijan is about to be the first state in the Caspian region to export oil and gas to the European markets,” he said.
While discussing the processes taking place in the region, President Jacques Chirac expressed his country’s desire for peace and stability there.
The Presidents also discussed the latest situation over the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks.
President Aliyev described the OSCE Minsk group co-Chairs’ latest visit to the region as useful.
Touching upon his latest meeting with the Armenian President in Minsk, the Azerbaijan leader said: “Armenia must put an end to its aggressive policy; then, stability and further development can be can be ensured in the region.”
President Chirac emphasized that France, as a co-Chair of the Minsk group, will use its influence and possibilities for peace to come to the region, and the refugees and internally displaced people to return to their homes as soon as possible.