Sarkozy calls on Azeri leader to influence Iran
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called on his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev to leverage influence on Iran to
facilitate solving the crisis over the country’s nuclear
program.
At a dinner party Sarkozy hosted on Wednesday during President Aliyev’s visit to Paris, the French leader pointed to the importance of Tehran’s fully and immediately complying with its international obligations, AP reported.
The two presidents also held discussions on regional issues, in particular, settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, in which France is acting as one of the mediators. Sarkozy called on Baku and Yerevan to expedite reaching agreement on the basic principles of the conflict resolution.
The Azerbaijani region has been the cause of hostility between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the beginning of the 1990s. Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Yerevan occupied the region and seven surrounding districts in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. Talks to resolve the conflict are underway but have been largely fruitless. France co-chairs the OSCE’s Minsk Group, which is working to reach a peaceful resolution to the Garabagh conflict.
President Aliyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Germany on November 22, for a sixth round of talks this year on the Upper Garabagh conflict. International mediators said "progress was made," but that "some issues still remain open."
During the talks in Paris, Presidents Sarkozy and Aliyev also expressed their wish to strengthen ties in all areas in order to swiftly establish strategic parrtnership between France and Azerbaijan. Sarkozy underscored vast potential to expand bilateral economic relations, saying that France was seeking to increase its trade turnover with Azerbaijan, his country’s top trading partner in the Caucasus region.
Further, the French president highly assessed Azerbaijan’s role in European energy security and affirmed Paris’ support for the Nabucco gas pipeline, which is pivotal for diversifying export routes and sources of hydrocarbons for energy-thirsty European markets.
Sarkozy also thanked Azerbaijan for its support to the international forces providing security in Afghanistan.*
At a dinner party Sarkozy hosted on Wednesday during President Aliyev’s visit to Paris, the French leader pointed to the importance of Tehran’s fully and immediately complying with its international obligations, AP reported.
The two presidents also held discussions on regional issues, in particular, settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, in which France is acting as one of the mediators. Sarkozy called on Baku and Yerevan to expedite reaching agreement on the basic principles of the conflict resolution.
The Azerbaijani region has been the cause of hostility between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the beginning of the 1990s. Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Yerevan occupied the region and seven surrounding districts in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. Talks to resolve the conflict are underway but have been largely fruitless. France co-chairs the OSCE’s Minsk Group, which is working to reach a peaceful resolution to the Garabagh conflict.
President Aliyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Germany on November 22, for a sixth round of talks this year on the Upper Garabagh conflict. International mediators said "progress was made," but that "some issues still remain open."
During the talks in Paris, Presidents Sarkozy and Aliyev also expressed their wish to strengthen ties in all areas in order to swiftly establish strategic parrtnership between France and Azerbaijan. Sarkozy underscored vast potential to expand bilateral economic relations, saying that France was seeking to increase its trade turnover with Azerbaijan, his country’s top trading partner in the Caucasus region.
Further, the French president highly assessed Azerbaijan’s role in European energy security and affirmed Paris’ support for the Nabucco gas pipeline, which is pivotal for diversifying export routes and sources of hydrocarbons for energy-thirsty European markets.
Sarkozy also thanked Azerbaijan for its support to the international forces providing security in Afghanistan.*
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