Azernews.Az

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed successful development of bilateral relations in politics, economics and other areas as well as regional and international issues during their talks in Baku on Friday, the Azerbaijani president’s press-service reported.

The two presidents voiced confidence that French-Azerbaijani relations would continue to expand. It was also stated that the French leader’s official visit to Azerbaijan was important for further boosting cooperation between the two countries.

Following the meeting Presidents Sarkozy and Aliyev had a working luncheon.

During Sarkozy’s visit, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economic Development and French Development Agency signed a memorandum of understanding on French FIA Group’s operation in the South Caucasus republic.

Also, President Sarkozy presented to Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva the Order of the Legion of Honor in the rank of Officer.

While in Baku, Sarkozy also attended the groundbreaking of a French school.

Karabakh talks and clashes
President Sarkozy said during a visit to Armenia prior to holding talks in Azerbaijan that the only option to settle the long-standing Nagorno Karabakh conflict is to resume peace talks brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group.

"We believe that it is possible to find points of commonality to reach peace," Sarkozy told a news conference with President Serzh Sargsyan.

He noted that South Caucasus is a quite unstable region, and a settlement of the Karabakh conflict is pivotal for the development of the two countries.

Sarkozy said France, the United States and Russia -- the co-chairs of the Minsk Group -- are ready to redouble their efforts to achieve peaceful resolution of the dispute.

"I will take this call for peace to Azerbaijan with me," he said.

The Azerbaijani government believes that Sarkozy’s visit to the South Caucasus region will speed up a settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Presidential Administration department head Ali Hasanov told the press Friday.

"We suppose that the French president’s visit to South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, is of great importance," Hasanov said. "Its significance is primarily measured by the fact that France is a co-chair of the Minsk Group and is directly involved in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict."

Hasanov said these efforts by Sarkozy do not aim to "squeeze" Russia in Karabakh peace talks.

"Russia was dealing more closely with the settlement of the Karabakh problem on its own. We think that France’s joining these efforts actively in this manner will stipulate the United States’ becoming more active in this regard in the future as well. All three countries want the current status quo [in the Karabakh conflict] to change. And such a change would mean altering the situation concerning Nagorno Karabakh, ensuring Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and enforcing four resolutions of the United Nations Security Council."

According to Hasanov, Sarkozy’s visit to South Caucasus and the statements he made in the Armenian capital Yerevan, particularly his remarks about the importance of changing the unacceptable status quo in the Karabakh conflict, will greatly contribute to the "future peace processes" in the volatile region.

On the day the French president started his visit to the region, two Azerbaijani soldiers and one Armenian serviceman were killed in clashes on the frontline. Baku and Yerevan accused each other of violating the standing ceasefire.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory since a war in the early 1990s. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but years of peace talks have brought few tangible results, and sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.

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

Gas interests
An Azerbaijani analyst says that along with the Karabakh conflict, supply of Azerbaijan’s energy resources to European markets was among key issues on agenda during Sarkozy’s visit to Baku.

"Though Paris is not as insistent as the European Commission regarding the Nabucco pipeline project [seeking to pump Caspian and Central Asian gas to European markets bypassing Russia], it is interested in delivering Azerbaijani gas to Europe via diversified routes," said Elkhan Shahinoglu, the head of Baku-based Atlas research center. "Look at this coincidence: gas reserves of the newly discovered Absheron field in the Caspian Sea will be tapped by French company Total. This means expansion of Azerbaijan-France energy cooperation and new sources of revenue for the budgets of both countries."

Eastern Partnership – actual visit aim?
Analyst Arastun Orujlu says Sarkozy’s visit to Azerbaijan is primarily linked to Eastern Partnership, the European Union’s program that aims to boost the bloc’s cooperation with six former Soviet republics, including Azerbaijan.

"Overall, Sarkozy visited the regional countries as a representative of the West, including the EU," Orujlu said. "And during this visit the objective being pursued was to convey the EU’s messages to the regional governments. These commitments are to assert European values concerning human rights and freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. These obligations should be strictly followed. Otherwise, the governments of these countries will not be taken seriously."

Besides Azerbaijan, Eastern Partnership covers, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. The program envisages simplified visa regulations, free trade and closer energy cooperation, but EU membership is not on the agenda for now. The participating countries are required to bring their laws into compliance with EU standards, pursue economic reforms and bolster democratic development.