PARIS: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to France began with a show of economic strength, as the president’s two-day visit kicked off with meetings with heads of the leading French companies and businessmen, who were eager to do business with Azerbaijan.
Such big-name French companies as SUEZ, CIFAL Group, Airbus, Thales International and Total were the first in line to meet with President Aliyev and voice readiness to continue cooperation with Azerbaijan.
Meeting with the members of MEDEF (Movement of the Enterprises of France) International in Paris on the first day of his visit, President Aliyev said that many projects have been implemented and many French companies successfully work in Azerbaijan, further mentioning that the total investments in the economy are more than $2 billion, primarily in energy sector.
The Davos World Economic Forum ranks Azerbaijan’s economy number 37 with respect to competitiveness. The country has a very low foreign debt, which is 20 percent of our GDP, while its hard currency reserves are more than five times bigger than the foreign debt. Moreover, all the investments of foreign companies and local companies are duly protected, thus creating additional incentives and interest in investing in Azerbaijan.
Talking about the conflict, President Aliyev also warned French companies over illegal activities in the Armenian-occupied territories.
President Aliyev, making a press statement following his meeting with French President Francois Hollande, repeated a theme he first raised at meeting with MEDEF, stressing that even more French companies can work in Azerbaijan as contractors.
France is the most dominant agricultural center of Europe: its share of the value in EU agricultural production is 18.1 percent. The sector plays the role of a crucial driver of growth and employment, as it ensures jobs for over 1.4 million people and provides 3.5 percent of national GDP.
The Azerbaijani president also hailed the current level of the bilateral relations, saying “the political dialogue that has developed between us has entered a very active stage”.
The French leader hailed the role of Azerbaijan in holding talks with all its partners in the region and outside the region, further saying: “Our only goal is peace. We are looking for peace not only in the region, but we are also looking for peace to end terrorism that is posing a threat at the global level and that we face.”
The two countries appraised relations in humanitarian area, mentioning activity of Baku French Lycée and Azerbaijani-French University as one of the greatest achievements in educational area.
The visit was also remembered for support it received from Azerbaijani Diaspora in France and friends of Azerbaijan in France. More than 400 Azerbaijanis joined the rally in support of President Ilham Aliyev at Place Joffre square in Paris.
