From the President of the Republic of France Nicolas Sarkozy

Mr. President, dear Ilham.

On the occasion of your 50th birthday anniversary, please accept my wishes for personal happiness. At the same time, I convey my best wishes to your wife and the people of Azerbaijan whose hospitality and efficiency impressed me very much during my official visit to Baku on 7 October.

I have the most wonderful memories of how you and Mrs. Aliyeva received me.

The personal relations between us are very important for the special ties we want to establish between Azerbaijan and France. We have exchanged views on regional stability, the energy future of Europe, the place of religion in society and, of course, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Its negotiated settlement is very important for both sides, and France is fully involved in this process. We have reached agreement on all these topics, and I would like them to lay the foundation for our discussions regarding an agreement on strategic cooperation between our countries and this process to be continued by our diplomats.

Azerbaijan's election to the UN Security Council for the next two years, a tremendous success of your diplomacy on which I have congratulated you, should make our communication on all subjects of diverse politics multilateral and intense. I would like to assure you that France will quite frankly do everything possible to share its experience with you on every occasion and at a time convenient for you.

By laying the foundation for the French Lyceum in Baku, we have symbolically built French-Azerbaijani relations on a sound footing, and I thank you for that.

Mr. President, dear Ilham, I want your birthday to be synonymous with family happiness for you and your family. I wish your country every success and prosperity and express by highest consideration for you.

Nicolas Sarkozy
President of the Republic of France