The French Republic
Bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the French Republic
France recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 3 January 1992. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 21 February 1992. The Embassy of Azerbaijan in France was established on 20 October 1994. The French Embassy in Azerbaijan was opened on 16 March 1992.
Azerbaijan and France have relations in political, economic and humanitarian spheres.
Mutual visits of the Heads of the States
- President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev made 8 official and working visits to France.
- President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made 13 official and working visits to France. The last visit took place on 19-20 July, 2018 (official visit).
- Presidents of France visited Azerbaijan 3 times. The last visit was the working visit by President François Hollande on 24-25 April, 2015.
Mutual visits of the Vice Presidents
- The First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva visited France on two occasions.
Mutual visits of the Prime Ministers
- Three visits to France were paid at the level of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Mutual visits of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has made 25 visits to France. The last visit was realized by Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on 9-10 November, 2021, to participate in the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference.
- The French Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France visited Azerbaijan 4 times. The lastly, the French Minister Catherine Colonna paid a working visit to Azerbaijan on 27 April, 2023.
Inter-parliamentary relations
- The Chairman of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan visited France twice. The last visit was made by Chairman Ogtay Asadov on 30 October -1 November, 2007. There is a working group on Azerbaijan-France inter-parliamentary relations in the Milli Majlis. The head of the group is Soltan Mammadov. The working group ceased its activities on October 3, 2023.
- Chairman of the French Senate, Christian Poncelet, visited Azerbaijan on 22 July, 1999. There is a France-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group in the National Assembly of the Republic of France, headed by Pierre Vatan. The friendship group ceased its activities on September 29, 2023.
There is a France-Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia) inter-parliamentary friendship group in the Senate of the French Republic. The head of the group is Alain Houper.
Contractual and legal framework
53 bilateral agreements have been signed between Azerbaijan and France.
Economic cooperation
French-invested companies in Azerbaijan operate mainly in the industry, agriculture, construction, trade, and service sectors. The MEDEF International (Movement of the Enterprises of France) plays an important role in informing French companies about Azerbaijan’s investment potential.
The Azerbaijan–France Economic Commission was established in December 1997, and on September 28, 2006, a decree was signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan approving the new composition of the Commission from the Azerbaijani side. To date, 8 meetings of the Commission have been held, with the most recent taking place on December 13, 2016, in Paris.
At the same time, the public association Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established to promote public–private sector partnerships between Azerbaijan and France and to further develop business and trade relations between the two countries. The opening ceremony of the association was held on May 12, 2014, with the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the former President of the French Republic, François Hollande.
Statistics on trade turnover, as well as export and import volumes between the two countries over the past five years, are reflected in the table below:
|
Years |
Trade turnover |
Exports (thousand US dollar) |
Imports (thousand US dollar) |
|
2021 |
245 463 |
64 595 |
180 868 |
|
2022 |
273 833 |
50 979 |
222 854 |
|
2023 |
536 270 |
133 219 |
403 051 |
|
2024 |
331 612 |
96 304 |
235 308 |
|
2025 |
415 068 |
155 145 |
259 923 |
Source: The State Customs Committee of the Respublic of Azerbaijan
Diplomatic Representation
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of France
Address: 78, avenue d’lena, 75116 Paris, France
Official website: www.paris.mfa.gov.az