Nicolas Sarkozy has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach agreement quickly on the basic principles of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
The French president made his remarks during a lunch on 9 December in honour of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during his official visit to France, AFP reported.
The presidents discussed regional issues and negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the positive dynamics of the negotiations and mentioned the six meetings held between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents within a year.
The French president underlined the importance of Iran’s full adherence to its international commitments and called on President Aliyev to use his influence on Iranian officials.
Sarkozy thanked Azerbaijan for its support in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force.
The presidents expressed their desire to strengthen relations in all areas to develop a France-Azerbaijan strategic partnership. The French president said there was potential to improve economic relation and that France wanted to increase trade with Azerbaijan, its leading trade partner in the Caucasus. He appreciated Azerbaijan’s role in the energy security of Europe and once more underlined France’s support for the Nabucco pipeline which will pump gas from the Caspian region to Europe.
