President: Azerbaijan highly values France's contribution to demining liberated lands

President Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan highly appreciates France's contribution to demining territories liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020.

He made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the country's national holiday on July 14, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reports.

 "Dear Mr President,

I cordially congratulate you and all the people on the national holiday of the French Republic, with best wishes.

This year marks a significant anniversary in the history of Azerbaijani-French interstate relations. This year, when we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, we are looking at the achievements made over the past period, exploring opportunities for further expansion of fruitful cooperation ties formed in the economy, energy, culture, education and other spheres. I believe that there are prospects for the development of our mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.

The new geopolitical reality that has developed in the South Caucasus has created a favourable basis for sustainable peace and regional economic cooperation. Azerbaijan, which has put an end to the 30-year occupation of its lands, wants to turn the page of the war, normalise relations with Armenia and sign a peace treaty. We believe that France can make a valuable contribution to the process of preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the five principles presented to us by international law.

The mines laid by Armenia in the liberated territories remain the biggest obstacle to the restoration and reconstruction works carried out here, as well as the socio-economic reintegration of the region. From November 10, 2020, to the present, more than 220 people have been killed or seriously injured as a result of mine explosions. We highly appreciate France's contribution to the process of demining our territories, and we hope that your country will also provide the necessary support in clarifying the fate of about 4,000 of our compatriots who disappeared during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

I express my deep respect to you," the letter says.