BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14. France is ready to contribute to ensuring long-term peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the French Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Sophie Lagoutte, said at an event organized by the French Embassy in Baku to mark the national holiday of the French Republic, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
''Very significant concrete steps have been made to make the peace dividends concrete and discernible. I’ve also seen for myself the great efforts and investments made by Azerbaijan in the recovered territories. Karabagh is thriving – I even know that a dairy cooperative in Lachin got some training with French cheesemakers to develop a tasty local production! This rediscovered vicinity with Armenia, after 3 decades of utter suffering and mourning, paves the way for new opportunities, from both an interpersonal and an economic perspective. France stands ready to support you in order to ensure long-lasting, irreversible peace and to help the Azerbaijani people enjoy all the benefits from a fully open South Caucasus,'' she noted.
Lagoutte emphasized that despite the promising prospects for bilateral relations, the two sides have not yet realized their full potential.
“We can only hope that the shared aspiration, as expressed by the presidents of our two countries, to open a new chapter in bilateral relations will indeed translate into concrete, positive steps and mutual respect for each country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she added.
