Azeri, French leaders discuss Karabakh, “excellent level” of cooperation

Turan news agency
8 Sep 04

Baku, 8 September: A one-to-one meeting between French President
Jacques Chirac and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, was
held yesterday evening [7 September]. The sides discussed the active
development of bilateral political and economic ties. Chirac said that
contacts between the two countries were at an “excellent level”. To
confirm this, he added that France was Azerbaijan’s third largest
foreign trade partner.

The meeting also addressed issues related to Azerbaijan’s integration
into the EU. The sides particularly spoke about Azerbaijan’s
involvement in the EU’s New Neighbourhood Programme.

The meeting also focused on regional problems and the Karabakh
settlement. Chirac said that Paris supported the continuation of
peace talks on the conflict settlement. As a co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, France will continue making efforts in this sphere.