Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and French officials have discussed the military political situation in the region.

Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister received Pascal Monnier, French Ambassador on January 21, the Defense Ministry said.

Speaking about the military political situation in the region, Hasanov said Armenia continues its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan.

He noted that this hinders the peace processes and negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and negatively affects the situation in the region.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Monnier, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the successful development of the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and France.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed the prospects for development of relations between Azerbaijan and France in defense sphere and exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest.

France recognized Azerbaijan's independence on January 3, 1992. Azerbaijan and France established diplomatic relations on February 21, 1992.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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