Azernews.Az

France is seeking to increase participation in Azerbaijan's economy, French presidential spokesman David Martinon said while commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's ongoing official visit to Paris.
Aliyev was to meet with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy late on Tuesday. Along with economic cooperation, the two leaders were expected to table various aspects of bilateral relations, Martinon said.
"Azerbaijan has a record economic growth in the world owing to the development of its hydrocarbon resources. We are looking to boost our participation here, in particular, in the economic field," the Elysee Palace spokesman said.
Azerbaijan's relations with the European Union and prospects for settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict were to be tabled by the two presidents as well.
France co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group brokering peace talks.
President Aliyev's visit to Paris started on Monday. On the next day, he met with French Senate Speaker Christian Poncelet. Poncelet said France and Azerbaijan are enjoying close relations and extensive joint activities are in store for the two countries.
"Our relations could serve as an example for other countries," the speaker added.
Aliyev said the fact that he was paying his second visit to France in the past year highlighted the high level of bilateral ties.
This is one of President Aliyev's numerous visits to France but the first one since Sarkozy took office. Aliyev visited France January 29-31 at the invitation of ex-president Jacques Chirac.
President Aliyev arrived in France from Turkey. On the first day of the visit, the head of state had a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of French oil giant Total Christophe de Margerie.
France has strategic interests in Azerbaijan and the entire region. The country sees the oil-rich South Caucasus republic as an alternate provider of its energy security. It is indicative that President Aliyev headed to Paris after Sunday's opening of a Turkey-Greece gas pipeline that will take Azerbaijan's gas to Europe.
France has also offered assistance in Azerbaijan's integration into the European Union. Baku, on its end, hopes for France's active mediating efforts as part of the Minsk Group.
The Azerbaijani public has been divided on the issue of France's mediation in the Garabagh settlement. Opposition to its mediation is due to the presence of a powerful Armenian lobby in Paris and some French politicians' slant toward Yerevan.
The demands to estrange France from co-chairing the Minsk Group came to the fore in Azerbaijan when the National Assembly of France last October passed a bill criminalizing the refusal of its citizens to recognize the fake "genocide of Armenians". The law envisioned a one-year jail term and Euro 45,000 fine for those denying that Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in 1915. The Azerbaijani parliament then issued a statement to the French government saying such decisions questioned France's impartial mediation.
On the other hand, France has not been idle in brokering the peace process. Former president Jacques Chirac has repeatedly facilitated meetings of the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in a bid to foster agreement between the two countries. The latest such attempt was made in the French town of Rambouillet in February 2006.