AZERBAIJAN-FRANCE RELATIONSHIPS TO REMAIN UNCHANGED IN SARCOZY’S PRESIDENCY
TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 15 2007
Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr A. Gasimova / The coming to power
of Nicola Sarcozy will not change anything with regards to the
relationships between Azerbaijan and France, the director of the
research program at the Institute of Strategic and International
Relations of France, politician Lor Delkur stated.
Delkur reported on May 15 that last winter the French Senate did not
adopt the law in favour of criminal responsibility for the fabricated
genocide by Armenian people, and therefore proved its neutrality
towards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Moreover, in her opinion, Azerbaijan is an important economic partner
for France in the Caucasus. France takes 6th place in foreign trade
turnover of Azerbaijan and 4th place amongst its foreign investors.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline has provided new opportunities for
French oil companies.
Delkur noted that since 1997 France had been the co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group on the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to Delkur, France maintains
its relationships with Azerbaijan through the European Union and the
European Neighbourhood Policy program.
Azerbaijan jointed the program in 2004.
After the fall of the USSR, France began to develop the policy of
Russia’s leadership in the region resting upon historical bonds.
However, in 1992-1994 the country began showing interest in the CIS
countries and the relationships between Azerbaijan and France began
to develop, especially in the last decade. In 1993, an agreement on
friendship and co-operation with Azerbaijan was signed. A number of
top-rank visits have been made since 1993 -1994. The first official
visit of Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev to France was made in
January, 1997. Ilham Aliyev (current president) visited France in 2004.
Nicola Sarcozy was elected president on May 6. He received 53% of
the votes. Sarcozy’s main rival, Segolen Ruayal, received 47% of the
votes. The inauguration of the new President will take place on May 16.
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