Azerbaijan-France intergovernmental commission convenes in Paris

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

Paris hosted the 8th meeting of the Azerbaijan-France Intergovernmental Commission on economic issues on December 13.

The Azerbaijani side was headed by country’s Finance Minister Samir Sharifov. The French side was led by Matthias Fekl, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Promotion of Tourism, and French Nationals Abroad.

The meeting’s agenda included issues of economic and financial cooperation, energy, transportation, space and ICT, agriculture, environmental protection, culture, education, youth and sports.

As part of the visit to France, Sharifov will hold several bilateral meetings, including the meeting with French Finance Minister Michel Sapin.

Earlier, France’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Aurelia Bouchez said that her country is interested in attracting investments from Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani –French bilateral relations are excellent and marked by a significant number of visits on both sides.

France is one of the main trade and economic partners of Azerbaijan. So far, France has invested more than $ 2.4 billion in Azerbaijan's economy. The country has 40 companies with French capital that operate in the areas of agriculture, construction, transport, tourism, ICT, environment and others.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and France amounted to $557.1 million in January-October 2016, $430.3 million of which accounts for exports to France, according to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee.

French imports from Azerbaijan consist exclusively of energy products, French exports to Azerbaijan are more diverse than its imports (with transport equipment posting the highest growth). In terms of investment and big contracts, French firms have a strong position in the oil and oil-related sector, as well as in the banking, telecommunication and transport sectors.

The French-Azerbaijani relations in the areas of culture and cooperation are excellent. The French Lyceum in Baku was opened in 2014 by President Fransua Holland and provides more than a hundred students with education from kindergarten and bachelor degree on the basis of the French Ministry of Education. Also, French-Azerbaijan University opened in the fall of 2016.