Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani model of tolerance is an example for other countries, the visiting head of an umbrella group representing French Jewish communities has said in a meeting with Azerbaijan`s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, AzerTac news agency reported.

During the meeting, Richard Prasquier, President of the Representative Council of the French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), and the Azerbaijani deputy minister praised the current level of relations between Azerbaijan and France.

Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Khalafov said that the unresolved status of the long-standing dispute was an obstacle for further development of Azerbaijan and the whole region.

Khalafov stressed the need for international pressure on Armenia -- which has occupied over 20 percent of neighboring Azerbaijan's territory since the early 1990s war, and the importance of settling the conflict in accordance with UN resolutions and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on an unconditional pullout of Armenian armed forces from the Azerbaijani territories, but none of them have been implemented so far.

CRIF President Prasquier said there were ample opportunities to expand France's relations with Azerbaijan.

Prasquier expressed his gratitude for the favorable conditions provided for the Jewish community in Azerbaijan and hailed the steps taken by Baku to bring closer civilizations and religions on worldwide scale.