Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own, I would like to congratulate you and through you all the people of France on the national holiday of the Republic of France – the Bastille Day.

Azerbaijani-French relations are on the path of comprehensive development. The deepening of our cooperation in various fields on the basis of a constant expansion of political, economic and cultural relations is one of the factors that characterize our partnership.

We are satisfied with the interest and support France has provided towards establishing peace and stability in our region. In this regard, we hope that the efforts of France as a co-chair country in the OSCE Minsk Group and you personally, Mr. President, will soon bring about tangible results in the peaceful and fair settlement of the most painful problem of our people – the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh – in line with international law.

On this auspicious day I send you my best wishes for good health and every success in your activities, and peace and prosperity for the friendly people of France.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 2 July 2012