His Excellency Mr Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic

Dear Mr President,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of the national day of the French Republic.

Azerbaijani-French relations boast good traditions, which are being directly enriched by our steps to develop and strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between our two countries.

It is with pleasure that I would like to note that our mutually beneficial cooperation is characterized by its wide scope. Our high-level political contacts are accompanied by our joint work in economic and humanitarian spheres.

Apart from all this we also pin great hopes on a resolute and objective position of France, as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, and your personal efforts, Mr President, in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the most painful problem facing our people. The conflict must be solved peacefully and fairly in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, the demands of relevant resolutions by the UN Security Council, the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act, within the framework of territorial integrity of our country.

On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, success in your endeavours, and the friendly people of France everlasting peace and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 11 July, 2019