Baku, Azerbaijan, July 23
By Ilhama Isabalayeva, Azad Hasanli – Trend:
The Azerbaijan-France relations have great prospects and potential, Azerbaijani MP, historian Musa Gasimli said.
"Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to France will intensify this potential and give dynamics to the relations between the two countries," Gasimli told Trend on July 23.
He stressed the great importance of President Aliyev's visit to France.
"First of all, France is one of the leading countries, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, one of the G7 members," Gasimli said.
He stressed that the Azerbaijan-France relations have historical roots.
"The state independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was first recognized in Paris on January 11, 1920,” he added. “ADR's representatives lived in France, and France was one of those countries that made efforts to restore Azerbaijan’s independence after the occupation by the Bolsheviks.”
“France helped Azerbaijani emigrants,” he said. “In its turn, Azerbaijan rendered exceptional services to France for its liberation from fascists. Azerbaijanis took part in the French Resistance Movement.”
The MP stressed that after the restoration of Azerbaijan’s state independence, the Azerbaijan-France relations have developed on a new basis.
"Azerbaijan’s national leader Heydar Aliyev paid the first foreign visit to France in December 1993,” he said. “The Azerbaijan-France relations have greatly developed during Ilham Aliyev's presidency. The French Lyceum, the Azerbaijani-French University, French companies operate in Baku."
President Ilham Aliyev paid a visit to Paris on July 19-20. Fruitful talks were held with representatives of 11 French companies during the visit and contracts worth over $2 billion were signed.
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